Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: To a Conquering of Spacetime
by Empyrean Philharmonic
Summary: A Gardevoir washes up unconscious on the beach close to Treasure Town one day. Another Pokemon, a Gallade, is hoping to form an exploration team to discover the secrets behind his Relic Fragment. The two destined partners meet, unknowingly beginning their quest to become as legendary as the universe itself.
1. Where the Waves Touch the Shore

Seriously, why hasn't _anyone_ done this? I mean, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (Time, Darkness, and Sky) is a really good spin-off game of the main series. And there are plenty of fanfics out there that depict the Hero x Partner shipping. So I thought of putting a Gardevoir/Gallade as the Hero x Partner. Again, how has anyone _not_ done this?

Anyway, I had to. I just had to. I just had to make Gardevoir the Hero (Heroine?) and Gallade the Partner. Although this story is not so different from the original game, there will be many _major_ changes. An obvious difference is that the Hero/Partner pairing is not the typical Pikachu/Piplup or Skitty/Turtwig pairing, but rather Gardevoir/Gallade. The first chapter will seem really generic; rest assured, lots of differences are to be expected and it won't be as similar to the games as much as you would ordinarily think. That's all. :D

This is going to seriously eat up a _lot_ of my time.

* * *

Chapter 1: Where the Waves Touch the Shore

There was an unconscious Gardevoir named Genevra lying on the beach, curled around in a weak, fragile position, her face against the soft beach sand. She was rather uncomfortable to look at, for if you saw the position she was curled in, you would cringe at how painfully fixed her body was.

She had been lying there for quite some time. The previous night, there was an angry thunderstorm rampaging around the shores of Treasure Town. Genevra wouldn't remember this, but she was struggling to take hold of her beloved partner's hand, Grovyle, as they were desperately trying to swim in the violent tempest that brewed. The waves were crashing between them, and they were yelling at each other, trying to be heard over the roaring thunder. Unbeknownst to both Genevra and Grovyle, they were separated in a flash from their enemy.

The sun would be soon getting ready to leave work, for it would soon sink behind the ocean waves, saying its usual goodbye to the world its rays touched upon before rising again in the east in the morning to shine brightly again as it usually did.

Meanwhile, there was a Gallade named Redley slowly walking towards the edge of the beach. He was feeling quite curious about his recently-discovered, strangely-intricately-patterned rock, quietly hanging in a small pouch from his neck on a feeble string. It was a _rock_, nothing more than a stone with a dull luster. But because this stone had this foreign pattern carved neatly into the rock, he couldn't help but feel that something was pulling him to discover the secrets behind it. There was something extraordinary about it, and he couldn't deny it, for denying it would be the same as saying that Dialga didn't exist.

And so, Redley began wondering about the stone's secrets, where it originally came from, and how it made its way to Redley's feet at the edge of Treasure Town. To do that, he realized he would have to go exploring out in the grand yet intimidating world he lived in. And to do that, he realized he would have to form an exploration team.

But the problem was, he never had anyone he could completely trust to form an exploration team. While Treasure Town never thought of Redley as some mentally-unfit, anti-social freak, he liked spending time with himself, doing things such as pondering on the wonders of the world, or training independently in the Marowak Dojo. Of course, he had friends and acquaintances that he talked to occasionally, but he couldn't bring himself to trust any of them up to the point where they would be willing to help him discover the secrets behind the somehow-special stone. And although all were nice Pokémon, he couldn't find anyone that he could deeply trust to share the secret of the stone.

_If I could find someone who would be willing to join me on my search…_ Redley thought disappointedly as he walked, staring at the silky, beige sand. _Perhaps I really will have to do this myself. After all, I'm not the first Pokémon to form a one-man exploration team… But it would be better to share this mystery with someone else… to share the happiness of exploring with someone else I can trust…_

Sighing, he looked up at the sun, which wasn't just setting yet. The amorous, peach-colored sky illuminated the scene with such a romantic overtone that you would feel a universal love of understanding and compassion wrap around you, as if the cosmos told you that everything, no matter how small, was essential. The ocean, as always, was glittering as if stardust sprinkled across its waters, its waves playfully hopping over one another. The sparkling, celestial-blue bubbles that the Krabby blew added a certain, song-like magic to the picture, so that whenever you found yourself staring at a bubble, you would see your eyes mirrored back into it, the reflection in tune with your delight and amazement. Such musical harmony lifted the spirits of Redley, for he found himself smiling rather contently.

The happy Gallade turned his head around to the left, expecting to find an empty and beautiful beach. Instead, he found an unconscious, skinny Gardevoir lying face-down on the sand, somehow disrupting the heavenly symphony of the image that made him smile.

"H-hey!" Redley half-stammered like anyone else who had just discovered an unconscious body. He ran towards the Pokémon, his previous thoughts immediately vanishing. "A-Are you all right?"

He noticed that the Gardevoir was still breathing, so it meant she was still alive. Immediately remembering that he had a spare Oran Berry in his Treasure Bag, he took it out without hesitation and settled it near the unconscious Pokémon. He cursed himself for not carrying a Reviver Seed, leaning down towards the Gardevoir, and carrying her shoulders so that her head would rest on one of his arms.

"C-can you wake up?"

The Gardevoir stirred softly against the sand, groaning incoherently as she slowly opened her eyes to see that she was on the shore of the ocean. Sensing that someone was holding her, she turned her head up, finding herself looking at a Gallade with a concerned face.

"Ohthankgoodness." Redley rushed his words with a relieved sigh. "I'm Redley. Are you okay? Are you hurt? I found you lying unconscious and—"

"AAAHCK!" Genevra screamed at the stranger in terror as she tumbled out of his arm into the sand. Who was this random Pokémon to _dare_ hold her while she was sleeping?! And where was she?

"Who are you?" Genevra asked harshly as she leaned against a rock. Clearly, she hadn't listened to Redley the first time.

"M-my name is Redley," the Gallade replied nervously. "I didn't mean to scare you! I just wanted to make sure you were okay!"

A silence cascaded over them like a fountain, and for a moment in time, the two Pokémon stared at each other in awe and wonder. The only sound they could hear was the sound of gentle waves washing against the shore rhythmically, almost like listening to a comforting lullaby. In one another's minds, there was no doubt that they were falling for each other. Between their gaze was an awakening bond of love, and how little they understood that this bond would grow to become one of the greatest the universe would come to acknowledge.

The two Pokémon blinked, and then, reality clicked back into their minds.

"Oh…" the Gardevoir replied with a weak voice as she sat up. Her body was sore and aching, every part feeling as stiff as dried clay. "Oh, I… I'm sorry."

"A-Are you sure you're all right?"

"Y-yes." The Gardevoir straightened herself. "I'm all right. My name is Genevra. I apologize for snapping at you like that earlier. I was… spooked."

"No, it's okay," Redley sighed, and looked away, for his face had begun to blush. "D-don't worry about it."

Genevra did not say a word as Redley picked up the Oran Berry that was now closer to him than it was to Genevra.

"Would you like an Oran Berry? It's my last one, but you can take it if you'd like." Redley held out the berry to the Gardevoir.

Genevra looked at the Oran Berry, and reluctantly reached out her hand to take the berry. She had grown hungry, and she couldn't remember the last time she ate something. Her stomach rumbled, to her embarrassment, and she took the berry without another word. Genevra found herself staring at the fruit and to the best that she could, she ripped open the berry in two with her Psychic.

"Here," Genevra said as she gave half of the berry to Redley. "I'll eat half."

Surprise dawned on Redley's face as she ate the small half of the berry. It was such a selfless act, and even though she was clearly suffering (she was the skinniest Gardevoir he had ever seen!), it was unexpected that she would only take a half of a small, three-centimeter berry.

"Where am I?" Genevra continued, ignoring Redley's expression.

"You're at the beach," Redley answered. "Where did you come from?"

Genevra jolted in surprise. Her mouth was open, as if it were ready to deliver an answer. Instead: "I… I don't remember where I came from."

"Did you come from Treeshround Forest?"

"…Where's that?"

"O-or, maybe you come from Spacial Rift?"

"?"

"!"

Genevra scratched her head, a frown twisting her face worriedly. "I feel like I lost my memory. I can't remember anything about myself. I can't remember where I came from or how I ended up here or why I'm even here. I only remember… my name."

Redley didn't know how to respond to this. After all, when else had he met a Pokémon lying unconscious on the beach, waking up screaming at seeing his face, and then telling him that she couldn't remember anything but her own name?

Genevra suddenly sensed two other Pokémon approaching, a coughing Weezing and a malevolently-gaping Golbat. They were both sketchy in appearance, poisonously floating in the air, creating an ominous atmosphere that seemed to wreck the heavenly symphony of the beach. The Krabby scurried away back into their homes, and the bubbles popped with an agitated sound, as if multiple violin strings had snapped crudely in two simultaneously.

"Who are they?" Genevra asked as she made an attempt to stand up, despite her body unpleasantly aching.

Redley immediately rose up, storing the half-finished berry inside his satchel.

"Be careful," he whispered under his breath softly enough for her to hear. "They aren't Pokémon you'd like to trust."

The two Pokémon waited expectantly, battle ready were anything to happen.

"Whoa-ho-ho," the Weezing laughed, noxiously annoying, and slightly intimidating. "No need to act so tough."

"What do you want?" Redley snapped, impatient.

"Ya know dat pouch hangin' roun' ya neck?" The Golbat spoke in response this time with an equally annoying and slightly intimidating tone. "We wanna see dat."

Redley narrowed his gaze to the two Pokémon, and in a serious voice, said, "I don't think so."

"Whoa-ho-ho! So it really must be worth wads of cash!" Weezing laughed maniacally, the toxic puffballs forming out of its pores, unnecessarily poisoning the air around them. "Golbat, ya know what to do!"

"'Course I do!"

Within less than a second, the Golbat flew directly towards Redley and ripped out the weak string holding the pouch. Before Redley could prepare a move, the two goons had rushed away with the stone, bouncing sadly inside the little pouch, flying into the dark Beach Cave, disappearing into the depths with unanticipated velocity.

"You have got to be joking!" Redley sighed, more exasperated than he could remember. His face wrenched into an expression of turbulence and sadness. "Genevra, I have to go after them—"

"Then let's go," Genevra spoke urgently. "We haven't got any more time to waste if you want your treasure back."

Genevra's reply came as another unexpected surprise to both Pokémon.

_Why did I just say that…? _Genevra thought. _I barely know the Pokémon, and yet, I want to help him _already_? I don't know where I am, I don't know why I'm here, or how I got here…_

Redley could only look at the Gardevoir, for he couldn't think of how to respond. He could only think, _How thoughtful of her…_

Breaking the silence between them, Genevra began walking towards the Beach Cave. She was ahead of Redley when she turned around and said, "Are you coming or not?"

Redley snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "Let's go."

With that, the two hurriedly rushed in the Beach Cave, disappearing into the depths as Weezing and Golbat had previously done.

* * *

Within the cave, the Gardevoir and the Gallade walked beneath the rugged stalactites dripping with water that made an oddly soothing sound with its continuous _drip-drip-drip._ The two were careful not to separate as they walked deeper into the cave, occasionally looking at one another to make sure they were together.

"It's… so damp in here," Genevra commented as she stepped over a budding stalagmite. "And it's so much like a maze."

"You've never heard of mystery dungeons?" Redley was half-surprised that Genevra didn't know what mystery dungeons were, but he also half-expected that she might have not remembered what they were.

"You call these mazes mystery dungeons?"

"At least, that's what we call them around here in Treasure Town."

"Oh. So I see."

…

"Listen, Genevra," Redley started as he looked towards her. "About earlier, you sure you'll be okay? I mean, you decided to help me, but you don't remember anything about yourself but your name."

The truth was, Genevra felt her intuition say that Redley needed to get that treasure in the tiny pouch back from the goons who stole it. There was something about Redley that she couldn't deny, and if she didn't help Redley get back his treasure, she would feel as if she were contributing to some unethical act that would go far more than just making Redley upset. Of course, she wouldn't tell this to him, for maybe he would think of her as a strange woman.

"Well, it's obviously something that's important to you. I won't ask about why it's so personal to you. Since you gave me your Oran Berry, think of this as a thank-you from me."

To this, Redley wasn't sure how to respond, but the longer he kept his mouth shut, the more his response to hers would seem awkward. Defeated, he decided not to say anything at all as the two continued deeper into the cave. Genevra noticed the clumsy silence between them, and in an attempt to make the air more natural, she asked, "How far do you think those two went?"

"Oh, uh..." Redley shook his head, composing himself. "The Beach Cave isn't such a big maze, so I wouldn't expect to be here too long."

"So how exactly does the mystery dungeon end?"

"Well, they end usually when there is a giant clearing, and that means there's nothing left to explore."

"So how do you get to this 'giant clearing'?"

"In every mystery dungeon, there are what we call 'stairs,' and the stairs either go up, down or just lead deeper to the center of the dungeon. They don't really look like stairs, they're just ordinary holes with steps for Pokémon to go through, but they're called stairs because they do resemble real stairs, in a way."

"Like those?"

Redley turned his face to his right, where Genevra was pointing to a small, visible hole leading deeper into the Beach Cave. In this case, the stairs were made of the cave's wet-brown rocks, making a small slope that led deeper into the mystery dungeon. There were rocks piled below one another, building sturdy-looking steps.

"Yeah, like those." Redley gave a small smile to Genevra. She didn't return the smile as the two went towards the stairs, however, to Redley's embarrassment. Though she noticed, she didn't bother returning his smile, and ignored it as if he had never smiled at all.

_How am I going to work with her…? _Redley thought. _She doesn't seem as friendly as everyone else in Treasure Town. She doesn't return my smiles. And yet, she's offered to help me with Weezing and Golbat. What's going on in her mind?_

* * *

The Beach Cave Pit wasn't very big, but it was simple and cool. The sand was soft and comfortable enough for any Pokémon to fall asleep upon it, while the refreshingly cold seawater rocked gently back and forth against the sand. The ceiling kept the clearing cool from the sun's burning rays at day.

In the middle of the clearing were Weezing and Golbat. Anyone with half a brain could tell that they were polluting the atmosphere, with Weezing's noxious, puffy clouds looming around and Golbat's menacing presence. They were both staring at the intricately patterned stone they had snatched off Redley's neck, wondering with their rather dopey, stupid brains what in the world the pattern on the stone meant. The poor stone looked clearly unhappy as two pairs of eyes glared all over it, trying uselessly to figure out its meaning.

Unexpectedly, both Weezing and Golbat were sensible enough to notice that Redley and Genevra were arriving in the clearing.

"Whoa-ho-ho, well look who came back." Weezing coughed as a couple of toxic clouds puffed out from one of its pores.

In response, Redley frowned, unimpressed.

"Give my personal treasure back to me."

"Ya mean, dis?" Golbat dangled the stone from its pouch with a toe. "Dis is _treasure_?"

"I said, give my personal treasure back to me!"

"Seriously." Genevra sighed in a voice much more calm than Redley's. "Give it back to him. You two pathetic morons can't even understand that it's a _personal_ treasure. Therefore, it has absolutely no value to anyone but him."

Redley looked at Genevra in surprise and awe. He certainly wasn't expecting the witty remark from the Gardevoir.

"Whoa-ho-ho, the chick's decided to start talking!" Weezing laughed. "If ya really wanna it back that badly, you'll come and get it!"

Genevra grit her teeth as she frowned, her fists clenched with tension, as she growled, "You'll regret you ever called me that."

Without another second to waste, Redley prepared a Psycho Cut, ready to slash through the Golbat. Golbat dodged the first time, flying with tricky agility, while the stone wildly flew on its one toe. It took Redley a third try for him to finally hit the Golbat, and its super-effectiveness knocked the bat into the seawater as Redley caught the stone midair with a hand.

Meanwhile, Genevra had managed to hit Weezing with Psychic once, which did much damage, though the Weezing wouldn't get down very easily as he sprayed Clear Smog all around Genevra. Trapped in the white haze, Genevra couldn't move, so she held still, breathing as very little as possible. She felt a soft breeze come from behind her back, and quickly realizing it was Weezing, she dodged and landed against the soft sand before he could hit her with a Sludge Bomb.

Though Golbat had landed in the water, he had no trouble getting himself out of it. He was clearly mad, as he screeched with anger in a high-pitched tone, preparing for a Giga Impact. Suddenly seeing an opportunity, Redley immediately thought up of a plan as he led the angry bat towards the Clear Smog Weezing had built. He sensed that Weezing was lost within his own Clear Smog, and without any hesitation, he landed himself into the sand under the Clear Smog, hoping that Golbat would collide into Weezing.

At that moment, all four Pokémon heard the screams of pain as Golbat's Giga Impact smashed into the Weezing, deflating the air out of the toxic puff-cloud Pokémon. Redley rolled out from under the Clear Smog just before the two Pokémon could hit him. Genevra, who had already gotten out of the Clear Smog, stood at a distance. Comprehension slowly dawned on her face as she understood what Redley had done.

"OWOWOWOWOW…" some Pokémon said, for the voice who said this was unrecognizable.

Golbat immediately flew up from the Clear Smog, his wings flapping lethargically, clearly tired and pissed off. "Don't… huff… think… huff… you're done… huff… with…"

Genevra rolled her eyes, clearly unmoved by Golbat's words. Redley simply stood there.

The Clear Smog cleared up immediately as Weezing breathed in its own clouds. He huffed, breathing heavily. "Don't think you're so cool! Your victory was a fluke!"

Genevra gave a death glare to the two Poison-type Pokémon, her arms crossed. "Care to battle again?"

Suddenly, the two Pokémon looked at each other, cowardice shaking into them, scooting out of the Beach Cave Pit as fast as their fear could take them.

"Didn't think so." Genevra looked away from the two Pokémon, disgusted.

* * *

At a later time, while the sun was just getting ready to set below the ocean waters, Redley and Genevra stood across each other, the sunlight outlining both Pokémon. Once again, the Krabby blew their usual, celestial-blue bubbles into the air as the magical symphony of the beach began singing from the top.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Redley asked in his concerned voice.

"I'll be okay," Genevra responded primly. Redley didn't seem so much like a Pokémon that she had to be careful around any longer. He seemed very genuine in terms of personality, and though it was off topic, she couldn't help but think how attractively handsome he looked against the soft, warm light of the sun.

"I mean, are you still hurt anywhere?"

"No. Not anymore." Clearly, this was a lie, as Genevra still felt her body ache sorely in certain parts.

Redley smiled, half-hoping for a smile from Genevra, but also knowing that he couldn't expect too much from her. With a relieved sigh, he took out the stone from the pouch and held it in his hand, the pattern of the stone visible. He knew by now that he could trust Genevra as a Pokémon, so it wouldn't hurt to show her the stone.

"This is what they stole from me," Redley began as he noticed Genevra's eyes observing the detailed design. "I think this was once part of something bigger, so it has to be a fragment of something. And, it has some ancient feel to it. Hence why I call it the Relic Fragment."

"So this," Genevra paused, creating a dramatic effect, "is your personal treasure?"

Redley laughed sheepishly. "Y-you could say that. I simply found this along the edge of Treasure Town when it rolled in front of me a while ago. I was curious, so I picked it up, and thought it had to have some kind of worth to it. But, I also noticed that Weezing and Golbat had seen the Relic Fragment the same day I found it, so…"

Genevra didn't make any comment as she took her eyes away from the Relic Fragment. Redley sighed softly, and he prepared to ask the Gardevoir a question he had been thinking of quite some time.

"Genevra," he began, "I know I've just met you today, but I was wondering if…"

Genevra looked expectantly at the Gallade, who seemed to turn redder by the second.

"Well…" Redley turned his head, as he was quite unsure if looking at her in the eye would make the situation any better. "Would you like to form an exploration team with me?"

Genevra stared at Redley, not quite sure how to respond. It took a while before she say, "An exploration team?"

"Yeah!" Redley smiled jubilantly. "It's because of this treasure that I found that makes me want to go out and explore the secrets behind this. I mean, I've always been interested by history and folklore and legends, and I've always wanted to go out and explore this entire world, hoping to make new discoveries. Just imagine all of the things in this universe, patiently waiting for us to discover them! And I hope that someday, I'll be an explorer who'll make history.

"But..." Redley looked away with an embarrassed, crooked frown. "I wanted to find someone to explore the world with me, and I couldn't find anyone who I thought was suitable enough. At least, not until I met you. To be honest, I didn't think I would ask you to be my partner, but now, after battling Weezing and Golbat from earlier, I feel like I can trust you."

Genevra was taken aback as she listened to Redley's dreams.

"But I barely know you," Genevra pointed out logically. "I've just met you today, I don't know who you really are, and somehow, I can't even remember how I got here."

Genevra scratched her head. "I'm sorry, I can't agree immediately. It's just that I only met you today and you already want to start this so-called exploration team with me."

"Oh…" Redley looked away from Genevra's eyes, clearly disappointed. "S-sorry. You're right. I just met you today and I barely know you so i-it was stupid of me to ask you…"

Genevra faltered at Redley's response. She hadn't meant to make him feel stupid, as he had mentioned. Soon, she delved into her thoughts, without realizing that Redley had said goodbye to her without looking, and that he was walking away from the Gardevoir.

_But you don't have anywhere to go, either… _Genevra thought. _What if those goons come again? If Weezing and Golbat come back and haunt me, then I might not be as lucky as I was today with Redley… Maybe I really should go with Redley and form this so-called "exploration team" since Redley is the only Pokémon I've met that I can trust so far… Besides, you don't even know where you are!_

Genevra snapped out of her thoughts and she turned around, expecting to find Redley standing right beside her, when in fact, he was already at least ten yards away from her.

"Wait, Redley!" Genevra called out his name as she started rushing towards the Gallade. "I'll join you!"

Hearing Genevra's words, Redley stopped walking and turned around. He found the Gardevoir running, her gown flying unintentionally gracefully. For just a split second, he saw a beautiful Gardevoir who seemed to glow in the passionate, orange-yellow light of the sun, breathing frantically as she tried to meet up to Redley, as if she were afraid that he'd leave without acknowledging her words. He blinked, and the image was gone as the Gardevoir stopped running when she was close enough to him to speak in a normal voice.

"I don't know the environment very well around me," Genevra said through breaths. "And I don't remember what happened to me, but maybe if I stay around with you, I'll discover something about myself."

Redley opened his mouth in surprise as Genevra took another deep breath before speaking.

"Besides, you're the only one I can trust at the moment." Genevra did not look into Redley's eyes as she said this. "I don't know anyone else. So until I find out some things about myself, I'll string along with you."

"So…" Redley began hesitantly. "You really will join?"

Genevra nodded in response. "Yes. I'll join you."

As she finished her last words, Redley did what he felt he could only do: smile. Perhaps it didn't matter so much that Genevra wouldn't return his smiles, but he could tell that she was trustworthy and honest. There wasn't any doubt in him about Genevra, and he felt his heart surge with joy and hope at the prospect of travelling around the world together with their exploration team.

"Where do we go from here?" Genevra asked.

"We head for the Pokémon Exploration Team Federation," Redley answered quite happily as the two Pokémon began walking away from the beach.

_What happened to me, where am I, and why did this happen to me? _Genevra's mind began pounding with questions. _Where did I come from? How was I washed up on the beach? …I hope I'll discover something in the near future…_

Somehow, the sun seemed to be taking very slowly to set down below the ocean waters. It was as if time had stopped for a moment, so that the scene of the sunset was preserved as Genevra and Redley walked away from the beach, making their way to the Crossroads of Treasure Town. The Krabby continued blowing their usual celestial-blue bubbles, as the ocean waves kept rocking back and forth, soon ending its magnificent, heavenly symphony.

* * *

Just for the record, there are no humans. That's why Genevra never said she was a human. In a world where only Pokémon exist like Mystery Dungeon, how do they know what humans even are? I always thought that was a weird plot hole.

Pokémon randomly spawning in dungeons for the sake of gaining EXP was a bit unrealistic, so I decided to remove that feature and focus on the environment of the mystery dungeon. It's one thing if the games spawn Pokémon for you to defeat, but when you think about it in terms of story plot, it's kinda… clumsy. After all, in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Special (anime), I don't recall seeing random Pokémon spawning to the Chimchar/Piplup/Sunflora for the sake of gaining EXP.

Aaannnd I'm really worried about my characters. I feel like they're a bit too pale, but it's just the first chapter and I have an idea where those characters are going anyway so… *sigh* That was probably an unnecessary writer's rant.

And maybe I sounded too poetic in this fanfic? I hope that's a good thing; I am in the middle of reading one of Mark Helprin's novels and his magical prose seems to have made an impact on me. But I hope I don't sound too foggy or too cheesy while I'm at it.


	2. They Who Embark Are Seekers

I was originally planning to make this story sound Exactly What It Says on the Tin from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Sky. (TV Tropes, anyone?) Literally, it wasn't just the title that was going to be Exactly What It Says on the Tin, I was going to make this story the exact same story plot as the game, and I admit, if I did that, it would be _really, boring_. But then I came up with something more epic and tragic, and I don't want to spoil too much. That aside, here's the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 2: They Who Embark Are Seekers

Twilight was ready to befall on the peach pink sky as Genevra and Redley were making their way towards the building that read _Pokémon Exploration Team Federation_ in glossy silver letters, the latter leading the both of them. They had both arrived in Treasure Town, noise buzzing around with chatter and occasional lighthearted laughter. Modest-looking lampposts scattered around the town were ready to turn on, for the night sky was quickly approaching. It was surprisingly lively for the little town, even if the day was almost over.

Redley wasn't quite sure if Genevra could trust him as much as he did to her. He knew that he trusted her, for everything she had done at the beach surprised Redley. He gave her a full, uneaten Oran Berry, to which she only ate half, and Redley was positive that the Oran Berry didn't fill her hungry stomach. He marveled at how kind it was for her to only take half. And then who else should arrive at the scene but Weezing and Golbat! Even though they stole the Relic Fragment from him, Genevra went ahead and helped Redley anyways, despite her problem that she couldn't remember anything about herself but her name.

Feeling slightly awkward in the silence that stood between the two Pokémon, he decided to initiate another conversation. If they were going to be partners in an exploration team, they might as well understand each other as Pokémon.

"So you really don't remember where you came from?" Redley started in the most comfortable voice he could ask in.

Genevra looked at Redley with a calm, disbelieving eye. "Must I repeat my answers? I've told you before that I can't remember anything about myself except my name. This is, of course, _strange_, to say in the least. What more do you expect from me?"

"Well…" Redley smiled softly. "I _would _like to know more about you. After all, we're going to be partners in an exploration team. We should get to know each other as well as we can. Here, I'll start. I was born as an only child at Treeshround Forest, a long way from Treasure Town. Soon after, my parents and I moved here. When I became a teenager, my mother fell ill from a disease, and she died from it. My father died not too long after, and I assume that it was because he died of a broken heart. He was… devastated after my mother died, and… I don't blame him but… in any case, after that was all over, I grew up in Treasure Town with others. "

Hearing this depressing story, Genevra looked away, suddenly feeling guilty for speaking rather sharply towards the Gallade.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Genevra murmured quietly, trying not to meet Redley's eyes.

"No, it's fine." Redley smiled in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere between them. "What about yourself?"

"…Myself?"

"Well, I know you don't remember much about yourself, but do you think you could try to remember?"

Genevra looked thoughtful, as Redley could tell by her eyes that she was trying to remember anything about herself to the best of her ability.

"…I remember that I'm twenty years old. At least, I'm sure I'm twenty. That's one thing I remember. But what good does that do?"

"We're not that far off then!" Redley's smile became even more cheerful. "I'm twenty-two!"

"Is age really that important?"

"Maybe not, but it is nice to know. Just in case it might ever come in handy. I mean, small details like age don't matter so much, but still."

A silence passed between the two as they quietly continued walking among the busy commotion of Treasure Town, until Genevra was the one to initiate a conversation this time around.

"Redley." Genevra spoke his name in a tone that meant she had a question to ask.

"O-oh, yeah?"

"What do exploration teams do in general?"

Redley smiled at this question. He felt himself relax, as this would be a fun and easy question to answer. "Well, they usually do three things. First, they help other Pokémon accomplish what they need to do, such as finding a missing item for them or helping them find a missing Pokémon. That's usually the easiest of the tasks. The harder task involves fighting outlaws who did things ranging from stealing things to killing others. Exploration teams help capture these thieves and murderers, so it's why it's much more dangerous than just finding a Joy Ribbon for a Pichu. The third task is arguably the hardest, and what they usually do is explore new mystery dungeons and discover treasure. The biggest risk is that Pokémon could lose their lives, since they have to constantly check their supply and make sure they aren't going to die exploring."

"So, how does your goal fit with any of the above?" Genevra remembered the small Relic Fragment sitting snugly in its own pouch that used to hang around Redley's neck, now settled down inside his satchel.

"Well, there has to be something about this Relic Fragment. I don't know where it came from, but it came from somewhere. And I hope that with you, I can discover where this came from. I guess we're gonna be a unique exploration team since we're not really doing what most do."

"It sounds like we're reaching for the stars. Have you tried something called a library?"

"I did, but I didn't get anything that would help me. Still..." Redley looked at Genevra with a heartwarming smile. He was getting used to Genevra's contemptuous tone. "I can't wait to start exploring with you."

Genevra wanted to reply, _I'm only joining you because I have nowhere else to go. I don't remember anything about myself. _She wanted to reply that she didn't share his desire to discover the secret of his Relic Fragment. Nevertheless, she realized how rude she would sound if she said her true thoughts to Redley, so she kept her mouth closed.

By now, both Pokémon had reached the entrance of the Pokémon Exploration Team Federation, the wooden double doors standing face front of them. Instinctively, Redley took the handle of one door and opened it for Genevra, wanting to be polite. Genevra nodded in thanks, and head inside the building with Redley following not far behind.

The building wasn't very extravagant. The walls were made of granite stone, with windows casually decorating the walls so that daylight could enter in the room. The temperature in the room was rather mild, warm enough for the winter weather, but cool enough from the blazing summer heat. The simple foyer had an array of chairs neatly lined against one side of a wall while a jubilant Simipour sat at the wooden receptionist desk opposite of the chairs. She greeted both Genevra and Redley as amiably as any Treasure Town citizen could be.

"Hello there, and welcome to the Pokémon Exploration Team Federation! What can I help you with?"

"Um, hi." Redley smiled to match the Simipour's mood. "We'd like to form an exploration team."

"Okey-doke." The Simipour pulled out a few papers from a nearby file cabinet and took out a pen. "All you'll have to do is come with a team name and fill out some things about yourself. Then I'll get you sent over to the head of the federation, Blastoise. He'll have your levels evaluated over at the Wigglytuff Guild."

Redley took the papers and the pen. "Thank you."

"No problem, just tell me when you're done."

Both Pokémon looked at the form curiously as they sat down at the nearby chairs.

"We need to think of a team name." Redley looked at Genevra. "Do you think you have an idea on what to call our team name?"

Genevra began thinking, a thoughtful expression spreading slowly like a butterfly's wings fragilely lifting into the air. Redley couldn't help but think how angelic she looked, her face in a contemplative mood. Ordinarily, it seemed that Genevra was very resolute character, firm and quickly decisive in everything she spoke and in the way she moved. At the same time, she had a certain grace that matched very peacefully with her solid personality. Something about this attracted Redley. And here she was, pondering on a potential team name for their exploration team, which only made the elegant Gardevoir all the more attractive to him.

"How about the Seekers?" Genevra suggested, and gave her reasoning after suggesting the name. "We'll be seeking the truth behind your Relic Fragment, and since we won't be doing what most exploration teams are doing, it seems plausible."

Redley smiled happily in response. "That sounds like a good team name!" He quickly jot down the name on the forms.

There wasn't very much else to fill out, that being their birthdates, their current age, their names, their known moves, and the Pokémon they were. They finished this with ease and told Simipour, who then lead the two Pokémon to meet Blastoise.

"What we'll first do is submit this form, and then we'll send you over to the Wigglytuff Guild to do some tasks to evaluate your current levels as well as see what explorer rank you are," the Simipour explained helpfully. "Blastoise will ask what kind of training you've done in the past. Since it's almost late today, you'll have to wait to go to Wigglytuff's Guild until tomorrow."

Simipour knocked on the door to Blastoise's office. "Blastoise, there are two new Pokémon who'd like to form an exploration team!"

"Come in," an attentive voice replied from behind the door.

Simipour opened the door as the Gallade and the Gardevoir walked into Blastoise's office, a small room with everything that you would expect to be in an office: a bookshelf, a desk, piles of papers, a cup of writing utensils, and a chair. Blastoise sat at his chair, a book open at his desk, and looked up to see the Pokémon entering his room. Genevra and Redley said a quick goodbye to Simipour before closing the door and leaving them alone in the room.

"So," Blastoise greeted with a friendly smile, "you want to form an exploration team?"

Redley nodded. "Yeah."

"May I see the form you filled out?"

Without any hesitation, Redley handed the form to Blastoise. He studied the form for a bit before nodding approvingly and turned to look back at the two.

"Well, you two certainly are allowed to form an exploration team. I'll have you evaluated at the Wigglytuff Guild tomorrow first thing in the morning so that we know what level you two are at. Have either of you trained at the Marowak Dojo?"

Naturally, as Genevra had never been to or heard of Marowak Dojo, she shook her head and remained quiet, for her silence was clear that she had no connection with the dojo. Redley raised his hand, indicating that he had trained there plenty of times. "I have."

"Alright then, Redley. I'll have Simipour check with Marowak to see your training records. It could significantly help boost up your explorer rank." Blastoise took a sheet of paper and took a small pencil. "I will write a letter to Wigglytuff saying that he must assign you an evaluation. If you can complete Wigglytuff's evaluation, you must come back here and inform me."

Both Genevra and Redley nodded, a sign that meant they understood everything Blastoise said. With that, Redley was handed back the form and Blastoise's letter, now put in an envelope with the federation's signature seal of its silver letters, _PETF_. Genevra was given a Treasure Bag of her own, a normal light beige bag like any other, while one copy of the Explorer's Map was given to both Pokémon. It was agreed that Redley would hold onto the map.

When Genevra and Redley had said their final goodbyes to both Blastoise and Simipour, they stepped back out into Treasure Town. By now, it was evening, and the lampposts were turned on, giving an idyllic look to the town itself. There weren't many Pokémon out, and those that were out had no malicious atmosphere about them. Genevra wondered where she would be sleeping tonight, especially since she felt suddenly weary of the events of the day.

Redley noticed Genevra's exhaustion, and realized that they would have to go back to his home at Sharpedo Bluff. "Genevra, are you okay?"

With a self-sustaining nod, Genevra replied, "I'll be fine."

"Here, we'll go back to my home, Sharpedo Bluff."

"I don't want to mooch off of you, Redley."

"But we're an exploration team, so I would think that we would at least have to live together one way or another."

Genevra sighed, an expression of defeat on her face. _Does he really trust me this much? I've only met him today, and not only does he ask me to join me in this exploration team, but now he also wants to share with me his own home! How can he trust me so much? …Still, he seems like a genuinely kind Pokémon. He wouldn't mislead you, Genevra…_

"Alright, then." Genevra looked back at Redley. "Where is your home?"

"It's at the edge of Treasure Town on a small cliff, and there's a beautiful view of the ocean from there. I promise you, you'll like it." Redley gave a friendly smile to her.

"…You won't do anything to me while I'm sleeping, I hope?"

Redley turned red and started stammering, as if he had accidentally landed in the girls' bathroom. "N-n-no! O-Of course not! I-I'd never do anything like th-that!"

Sensing that Redley was honest, Genevra looked away with a satisfied look on her face, showing no smile. "Just wanted to make that clear. That's all."

With that said, the two Pokémon wandered their way back to Redley's home. Genevra took in the environment around her, becoming even accustomed to the sights and smells of Treasure Town, which now surely felt like her new home. She knew that she wouldn't be retaining her memory anytime promptly, and defeated by this fact, she hesitantly agreed in her mind to get used to the new town. Of course, it went without saying that she would still be on a search to remember everything she could about before she was washed up on the beach unconscious.

"Ah, here we are." Redley's voice grabbed Genevra's attention. At first, she found herself staring at a rather large bush, but was surprised to that when Redley pulled away the bush, there revealed a moderate hole with small stairs led down to a room. Redley faced Genevra, and in his polite manner, he said, "After you."

Genevra looked at the entrance in amazement, looked back at Redley, and then went down the stairs without another word. Redley followed behind after he pushed the green bush back over the top of the hole.

In the small room was a clean, dirt floor with a cozy-looking nest in the center, presumably Redley's. Piles of hay were stacked against the wall, and next to it stood two wooden barrels. Near the opposite end of the room stood a small waterfall fountain trickling with fresh water, and next to that was a pile of firewood bundled up nonchalantly against one another. The ceiling was neither grand nor small, and it was comfortable enough to fully stand up without hitting one's head against the ceiling.

Though the room itself was quite snug, the most beautiful part of Redley's home was the magnificent view of the ocean it gave. Genevra could see the vast ocean, glittering a midnight blue that reflected the color of the night sky. The moon was shining brilliantly in the sky, its light shyly twinkling within the ocean waves as if they were delicate white pebbles ready to crumple into pale dust. There were deep blue-black clouds moving lazily across the sky, a sharp contrast from the clouds the previous night where a furious storm had raged all over Treasure Town with its own violent clouds.

It was then Genevra realized why Redley had called it Sharpedo Bluff. The very room she was standing in was the mouth of the Sharpedo Bluff, and the view of the ocean was the opening of the Sharpedo's mouth, allowing such a magnificent view of the blue waters that went on for distances and distances.

"Is everything okay?" Redley asked, making Genevra turn around to face him. She found him lifting a bale of hay, walking towards her. His satchel was sitting quietly next to his own nest.

"I have to say, it's a nice home you have here," Genevra admitted as Redley untied the string that wrapped around the bale of hay a couple of yards away from Redley's own nest.

The Gallade smiled in response. "Thanks. I try not to keep it too occupied so that way it's roomy and comfortable."

Knowing that Redley was prepared to make a bed for Genevra with the hale of bay, Genevra looked at the Gallade and told him, "If you don't mind, I'll make my own nest."

"Of course," Redley replied, wanting Genevra to be comfortable in every way possible.

So as Genevra made her own bed with the bale of hay, Redley went over to the barrels and plucked out a few Gummis and two apples for the both of them. It would turn out to be a tolerable dinner for them, though the two Pokémon hadn't talked to one another while they were both eating. It was rather soothing, eating in the quiet atmosphere while the moon shown above in the night sky as if it was a guardian angel. After they had finished eating, Redley tossed a blanket to Genevra for the night and gave himself a blanket as well, for they would both be sleeping soon. They laid down on their beds for some time, and Genevra, being tired, was ready to fall asleep quite effortlessly. On the other hand, Redley wasn't going to go to sleep as easily as Genevra. He wanted to talk to Genevra just a little bit more before she would go to sleep, and so he gently cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Genevra," Redley said, finally breaking the long silence. "Are you still awake?"

"Hm?" The Gardevoir murmured from her nest, clearly ready to fall into a deep slumber. She was slightly irritated that Redley had begun talking once more, but she knew she couldn't be angry at him after everything he had given her.

"Thank you for everything today. I mean, you helped me with Weezing and Golbat, and more importantly, you formed an exploration team with me today. We'll be experiencing all sorts of things tomorrow, and to be honest, I feel excited about it."

Genevra sleepily opened her eyes, finding that she was looking at the tranquil, night sky. Her back was turned to Redley, so that her face wouldn't meet the Gallade were an awkward eye contact to come in place. She didn't know which side Redley slept on, but whichever side he slept on, she didn't want to find herself facing him.

"I should be the one thanking you," Genevra replied back quietly, her face not meeting Redley's. "If you hadn't found me at the beach earlier today, I don't know where I would be now."

Redley let another silence pass by before replying. "I know you said you don't remember anything about yourself, but… I hope that while we're an exploration team together, we'll find out everything about you. Not just my Relic Fragment. I mean, your past, where you came from, why you were washed up on the beach, and how you lost your memory. You know, things like that."

"…I hope so too."

Redley sighed. He was tempted to look at Genevra one more time before falling asleep, though he kept telling himself, _Don't look at her, don't look at her, don't look at her._ He wasn't quite entirely sure how Genevra was sleeping, that is, which side she was sleeping on, but like Genevra, he didn't want to awkwardly meet her eyes. To stop his temptations, he said his final few words of the night.

"Well, we should probably get to sleep. Sorry if I woke you up. Goodnight, Genevra."

"Mhm… G'night, Redley."

* * *

The next day, early in the morning, both Pokémon had woken up, quickly ate their breakfast and went through Treasure Town, walking their way to the Wigglytuff Guild. They didn't stop walking until they were in front of the grand, rocky stairs of the Wigglytuff Guild. It looked quite steep, for if someone were to even try to walk up those stairs, they would have to watch themselves with caution lest they fall down and land unpleasantly onto the ground below.

"This is an extravagant entrance to the guild," Genevra pointed out quite rightly.

Redley took his first few steps up the stairs. He looked at the end of the stairs above him, and then looked back down to Genevra. "Do you think you'll be okay?"

Genevra responded as she began walking up the stairs. "More or less."

Redley suddenly wondered if he could take Genevra's hand, for the sole purpose of walking up the stairs together. He wanted to hold her hand and take their first steps together as an exploration team. But then he thought of what had happened yesterday when he held her head against his arm at the beach when she was unconscious. She was frightened when she discovered that he was holding her, so Redley immediately knew that she didn't like being touched at all. Flustered from his earlier actions, he kept quiet and decided not to speak.

Genevra had already begun walking a few steps ahead of Redley when she noticed that he wasn't moving. He was simply standing there, watching Genevra, to which she felt relatively stiff and mechanical. "What?"

"Erhm…" Redley shook his head with a flustered face. He realized how awkward he made her feel. For this, he became as stiff and mechanical as Genevra had. "Nothing. Let's go on."

The two Pokémon had finished walking up the stairs and were now standing in front of the sentry gate, its sturdy brown grate giving the air a sense of nightmarish curiosity. As unyielding as the grate looked, the un-seeable darkness below the grate lurked around with a gloomy feel. Genevra couldn't help but think how eerie it looked. It didn't help that the Wigglytuff tent had soulless, empty eyes on top, its arms splayed out towards the sky, as if calling upon some unpleasant disaster. Both Pokémon shuddered slightly at the sight of the pink, bunny-like tent. Of course, Wigglytuff himself had never meant it. Everyone knew that the guild had the nicest of Pokémon anyone could imagine, and some secretly pitied the Pokémon who lived in the guild for having such a weirdly-shaped, ghastly-looking bunny tent.

"Well, this is the Wigglytuff Guild," Redley announced in a voice as triumphantly as he could, trying to make the atmosphere between them cheerful once more. He waved an arm in grand gesture, as if trumpets were ceremoniously blaring in the background.

"Okay. Then what's this?" Genevra frowned, staring at the grate in front of the two.

"It's… their security system."

Genevra looked at Redley with disbelief. "This? This is a security system?"

Redley let out another sheepish laugh. "I-It works like this. You're supposed to stand on top of the grate, and then a Pokémon below will identify your footprint and let you into the guild. I'll go first so you'll see how it works."

Having that said, Redley bravely walked in front of the sturdy grate. Immediately, a boyish voice sounded from below the darkness, calling out his words with military-like stiffness. It was followed by bizarrely ear-piercing yells in response to the boyish voice.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint belongs to Gallade! The footprint belongs to Gallade!"

"You mean… from Team RAIDER?"

"Um… I don't know! The footprint just belongs to a Gallade!"

"WHAT?"

"I'm not supposed to know if that footprint belongs to the same Gallade from Team Raider, Loudred!"

Redley laughed and faced himself into the darkness of the sentry gate. "I'm not the Gallade from Team Raider. I'm Redley, from Treasure Town."

"Oh…" was the response of both Pokémon in the dark below the grate. The tone of their response was a mixture of defeat and embarrassment.

"I have a friend up here with me too," Redley continued saying, and looked at Genevra.

"Well then get that STRANGER up on the GRATE!"

"Shut up Loudred! You're too loud!"

Genevra smirked ever so slightly. "This is the security system?"

Redley laughed lightly, shrugging as he stepped off the grate so that Genevra would step upon it. She was quite reluctant to step on the grate (what if someone down there actually looked up her gown?!), but she managed to get herself on it with the push of her conscious, hoping that her gown would be thick enough to cover what needed to be cover, somehow.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint belongs to… Gardevoir! The footprint belongs—"

"WHAAAT? Is SHE the GARDEVOIR from Team CHARM?"

"Who's that?" Genevra mouthed towards Redley. Before he could respond, the Gallade was interrupted by the boyish voice from below.

"How should I know?"

Genevra faced the darkness behind the grate below her, ready to respond should another argument go off. "My _name_ is Genevra."

…

"Well, if you're a friend of REDLEY'S, I would say it's OKAY to let you IN the GUILD."

Genevra rolled her eyes in confusion. Did that Loudred have to absurdly screech out random words in his sentences?

Before anyone else could say any word, the gates of the Wigglytuff Guild trembled as if thunder had rumbled threateningly in the sky. Genevra leapt off of the grate, thankful that she wouldn't have to stand on it any longer.

"You okay?" Redley asked the Gardevoir, wanting to make sure she was as comfortable as she could be.

Genevra nodded as the two went inside the guild. Perhaps she would wonder about the Gardevoir from this Team Charm at a later time.

The first thing both Pokémon noticed was an attention-calling board next to the ladder that led below to the guild, screaming in big letters, WIGGLYTUFF'S GUILD, TEN RULES FOR EXPLORATION TEAMS. Below those words were, needless to say, the ten rules for exploration teams. Genevra quickly skimmed the rules, thinking of how ridiculously hokey and nonsensical those so-called rules were. "Don't shirk work!" was an easily ridiculous rule: who would ever want to shirk work in the first place if it was their job? And "Run away and pay!" made absolutely no sense for a rule. Who were you running away from, and if you were running away, what would you need to pay for?

"Need help getting down here?" Redley asked Genevra as he was prepared to climb down the ladder.

Genevra shook her head. "I'll be fine."

With that, the Gallade nodded in return and leapt down onto the first sublevel of the guild. Genevra gingerly held on to the ladder, making sure her gown wouldn't reveal anything too private. She arrived at the first sublevel at a considerably slower pace than Redley.

The two Pokémon stood amidst a crowd of commotion, exploration teams of twos, threes, and even one team of four busily chatting away, holding envelopes and treasure bags. None seemed to notice the Gallade and the Gardevoir standing in the middle, for they were all too absorbed in their own business to even see them.

A hasty pair of wings fluttered impatiently from behind the two. Both Redley and Genevra turned around simultaneously to find a Chatot observing both Pokémon with a careful eye.

"So, a Gallade and a Gardevoir," the Chatot chirped with seemingly bossy disapproval. "I _almost_ thought that you'd be the Gallade from Team Raider and the Gardevoir from Team Charm, but you're too scrawny for a Gallade, and the Gardevoir doesn't look so nice or friendly compared to the Gardevoir from Team Charm."

Redley frowned, purely confused and disappointed at the Chatot's blunt words. Genevra would have raised an eyebrow, if she had one. They weren't expecting such a judgmental Pokémon to greet them by comparing them to the legendary exploration teams of Team Raider and Team Charm.

"Anyways, what brings you two here? Are you salesman? Get out, we have no use for such Pokémon!"

"Actually, we're an exploration team," Redley began. "We formed a team yesterday at the Pokémon Exploration Team Federation, and Blastoise sent us here."

"Do you mean… you want to join the guild?"

"W-well, not really," Redley continued and held up Blastoise's letter. "We're already a team, it's just that Blastoise told us to come here and have Wigglytuff give us a test for evaluation. That's all."

"How old are you?"

"Oh, well I'm twenty-two, and she's twenty."

"Well then you're much too old to become apprentices of our guild!" Chatot laughed oddly. "Well, if you need to see the Guildmaster, follow me."

Chatot led both Pokémon to the second sublevel of the guild, where the commotion was less busy. They came upon a wooden door with a bright red, vaguely-shaped G painted on. Chatot chirped quite loudly that he was about to enter inside Wigglytuff's room with the mention of Redley and Genevra.

"Guildmaster!" Chatot chirped as the door opened. "We have two Pokémon who are an exploration team and have come to our guild with a letter from Blastoise of the PETF!"

"Blastoise from the PETF, eh?" another giddy voice replied. To get a better picture in mind, picture Barney's (yes, the purple dinosaur) voice in the body of Guildmaster Wigglytuff. The only difference is that Wigglytuff is a more pleasant, likeable creature to love instead of the strange, creepy dinosaur you remember watching as a kid. "That must be important! Who are you two?"

"We're Team Seekers," Redley answered, and introduced his name as Genevra introduced hers. Wigglytuff observed Team Seekers with interest as they were talking. "We have a letter here saying that Blastoise wants an evaluation of us as a team."

"An evaluation?" Wigglytuff leapt off of the chair he sat on. "May I see the letter please?"

Naturally, Redley handed the sealed envelope to Guildmaster Wigglytuff.

"Mhm…" Wigglytuff nodded his head rather solemnly after he had opened the letter. "I see what he wants me to do… Alright! YOOM-TAH!" Here, the ground seemed to shake as if tectonic plates of the earth were shifting violently. "Team Seekers, I hereby give you Test A!"

"T-T-Test A?" Chatot squawked unmusically. "Th-that's…!"

Redley and Genevra looked at each other, perplexed.

"Um… if I may ask, Guildmaster," Redley began with caution, "what exactly is Test A?"

"Nothing too hard!" Wigglytuff replied quite cheerily, obviously ignoring Chatot's squawks. "All you need to do is these four tasks in seven days! If you can complete these four tasks, you'll be allowed to skip the Normal Rank to the Diamond Rank!"

"So what kinds of tasks are these?" Redley asked another question.

"You just need to do two jobs from each bulletin board up on the floor above us, do a mock-up exploration of Waterfall Cave, and bring back some Perfect Apples from Deep Apple Woods. Oh yeah, and you have to do it all in one week! That's all."

"B-B-But Guildmaster! Test A! Why?!"

"Oh, come on Chatot!" Wigglytuff laughed heartily. "Believe me, these two Pokémon look like they can handle Test A."

Chatot merely sweatdropped, half-nervous and half-crazy at his Guildmaster.

"So, when do we—"

A familiarly unwelcome presence entered the room, followed by an even bigger unwelcome presence. All Pokémon turned to look at who were facing the door. It was none other than the goons from yesterday at the beach, Weezing and Golbat, though this time, they were followed by the boss of their group, Skuntank.

"I SAID you are NOT welcome at this GUILD!" another familiar presence yelled as he entered the room, a rather large cross-popping vein beating angrily at his blue forehead.

"Chaw-haw-haw!" Skuntank laughed. "Doesn't matter. We're in here already. Why should we listen to _you_?"

"GUILDMASTER Wigglytuff! I'm so SORRY!" Loudred apologized loudly.

"You guys again! Why are you even here?!" Redley stared at the Pokémon wide-eyed in a mixture of horror and shock while Genevra didn't say anything at all. Needless to say, she stared at them very cynically.

"Who are you?" Wigglytuff looked cheerily at the trio of the malevolent Pokémon.

"We," Skuntank paused to purposely create a dramatic effect, "are Team Skull. Guildmaster, if you wouldn't mind, please assign us Test A like you did with _them_." Skuntank motioned towards Redley and Genevra.

Chatot, meanwhile, had gotten out of his shocked mood from Wigglytuff's earlier decision to give Redley and Genevra Test A. He was now quite furious at the newcomers for barging into the Guildmaster's office, getting by the guild's security system, and now, they were asking for Test A from the Guildmaster himself!

"Who do you think you are?!" Chatot squawked, his wings flapping angrily in the air. "Barging in the Guildmaster's office like this is _completely_ inexcusable! Why, were—"

"Now, now!" Wigglytuff interrupted Chatot. "Let's see the situation here. We have an exploration team named Team Seekers who will be taking Test A, and another exploration team who wants to take the Test A as well." Wigglytuff closed his eyes and put a paw to his chin. "Hm. What, to, do…"

A heavily awkward pause took control of the room as Guildmaster Wigglytuff stood extremely motionless. It became so quiet that if you were in the very room, and you dropped a pin onto the ground, it would be loud enough to turn heads to see where it dropped.

"Okay!" Wigglytuff suddenly spoke loudly, making everyone in the room jolt with surprise. "Here is what we'll do! Team Seekers _and_ Team Skull shall both do Test A!"

Hearing this, everyone but Wigglytuff let out a shocked "!"

"Chaw-haw-haw, looks like this is a competition between us!" Skuntank laughed with a snobbish tone in his voice. Weezing and Golbat joined their boss as they laughed as much as a puffy toxic cloud and a bloodsucking bat could laugh.

"No way!" Redley exclaimed with his mouth open in shock. "H-how? Guildmaster, why?"

"We will start the competition tomorrow morning at sunrise at the Crossroads! Test A requires you to finish these four tasks in one week! Whoever comes back the quickest and with all missions completed shall win the competition!" Wigglytuff had heard Redley's complaint, and while he was certainly justified, Wigglytuff would not tell anybody for some time the reason why he allowed Team Skull to do Test A along with Team Seekers. "You've got one day to prepare!"

"But Guildmaster!" came from the voices of Chatot and Redley.

"Now, _if_ you will excuse us…" Skuntank smirked quite haughtily, waiting for the Guildmaster's response.

"Of course, you're excused. Remember to meet us at the Crossroads tomorrow at sunrise!"

With that, the disagreeable and obnoxious Team Skull stalked rather sinisterly out of the room, casting overly-prideful glances at Redley and Genevra.

Genevra looked all around the room. She found Loudred staring incomprehensively at what had just taken place. Redley had a face of pure surprise and anger, as did Chatot. Wigglytuff was the only one who was smiling brightly, as if he were a perpetually happy stuffed bunny that belonged in the room of a little girl with other pink animals lying on top of a pink bed in a pink bedroom.

"Oh, I almost forgot to add!" Wigglytuff suddenly started once again in his normally cheery voice. "Before you leave, Team Seekers, consider Team Skull an addition to Test A. Just think of them as another obstacle to conquer in Test A. You two look like you can handle it, so it's why I agreed to start a competition. I believe in you guys."

Genevra couldn't help but think how strange the situation was. The three goons had literally barged into the room and declared a competition between the two teams. There was no doubt that they were purposely trolling both Redley and Genevra, and now that Wigglytuff had allowed this competition to take place, it only angered her even more.

Another uncomfortable pause took place. Genevra cleared her throat, and spoke quietly. "Guildmaster, thank you for the evaluation. We'll be at the Crossroads tomorrow by sunrise to begin it." Genevra turned to Redley, and in the same quiet voice, she said, "Let's go, Redley."

Redley looked at Genevra with surprise, and then agreed with some reluctance. "Ah, o-okay."

"We'll take our leave," Genevra said, and goodbyes were exchanged as the Gallade and the Gardevoir walked out of Wigglytuff's office.

* * *

After the two Pokémon had gone, Loudred looked at his Guildmaster and Chatot, clearly embarrassed and very unsure of what to do next. He knew he had to go back to sentry duty, but leaving in the middle of an awkward pause like this in Guildmaster Wigglytuff's office seemed disrespectful.

"Guildmaster…" he began, this time, trying hard not to emphasize random words in his speech. "I just wanted to say that—"

"Apologies accepted, Loudred!" Wigglytuff smiled jubilantly. "Don't worry about it. Team Skull would've barged in the guild one way or another."

"B-But Guildmaster!" Chatot exclaimed with a flap of his wings. "Wh-why did you just…?"

Wigglytuff revealed a secretive smile. It was blunt to both Chatot and Loudred that Wigglytuff had a big plan stirring in his mind. Wigglytuff knew things that Chatot and Loudred didn't, and he wouldn't be revealing his plans to anyone for any while.

"Let's just say, my friends…" Wigglytuff began as he picked up a Perfect Apple from a nearby stash. "That something colossal will happen in the future."

Both Loudred and Chatot sweatdropped, not having the faintest idea of what he meant.

"As for Team Skull, Loudred," Wigglytuff continued, "should they enter the guild again, they are allowed to enter. If they should do anything harmful to any one of us, or somehow decide to wreck the guild, they will expect the Surprise from me. That's all. You may go back to work."

Loudred nodded slowly, comprehending what Guildmaster Wigglytuff meant by the "Surprise" from Wigglytuff. Without another word, he walked out of the room, awkward, fidgeting slightly with each step he took. When he was out of the room, Chatot looked incredulously at Guildmaster Wigglytuff.

"G-Guildmaster…"

"Chatot, this is between you and me. Team Seekers is a very special exploration team indeed, and I assure you, this is not an exaggeration. If they truly are the ones to save us in the coming future, they should be able to pass Test A with the Team Skull members standing in their way. That's all."

Wigglytuff spoke these words without his usual humming decorating the end of his sentences, which made his voice sound deeply serious, the no-nonsense overtone ominously embedded in it.

Chatot looked at where Team Seekers had stood previously. The Gallade might have been rather scrawny, and the Gardevoir certainly wasn't as warm or kindly as Gardevoir from Team Charm. And yet, if Guildmaster Wigglytuff was right, Chatot knew he was being ignorant somewhere.

"I-If you say so…"


	3. Simplicity is Never Just Simplicity

I use a lot of strange names, but I think it adds a unique taste to the stories I write. Genevra is pronounced with a soft _g_, much like the how you'd pronounce the name _George_. Therefore, her name is pronounced _Je-neh-vra_, though I pronounce her name as if I were saying it in French. Redley's name is pretty self-explanatory… I hope.

* * *

Chapter 3: Simplicity is Never Just Simplicity

"So, Wigglytuff said we had four things to do in one week…" Redley said out loud as he walked down the grand entrance of the Wigglytuff stairs. Genevra was slightly ahead of Redley, though he had no trouble keeping up with the Gardevoir. "Still, if Team Skull hadn't barged in like that…"

"I wonder how hard it actually is," Genevra murmured along, "considering that Chatot nearly exploded when Wigglytuff said Test A."

"Well, if it's a big challenge, I'll gladly take it on with you!" Redley leapt down the remaining steps of the stairs, his arms open wide in joy to indicate his excitement, a smile gleaming happily on his handsome face. Genevra found herself almost smiling back, but she was quick to refrain from doing so.

"Anyways, we should prepare for tomorrow. I'll show you around Treasure Town now," Redley continued as Genevra arrived down from the steps. "It's a really —"

"Wait," Genevra whispered, cutting Redley off. She felt someone, no, there were at least two Pokémon watching them. Genevra shot a look at Redley, her eyes reading, _We are being watched._

Redley didn't understand Genevra's expression in the beginning. Perhaps it was because he wasn't as intuitive as most Psychic-Types were, like Genevra, for instance, but then when he looked directly into Genevra's eyes, he felt some kind of a telepathic perception between them. He immediately knew what she was saying, and his smile vanished as he began attempting to sense with his horns where the watchers were.

"Team Numbskulls!" Genevra shouted out suddenly, making Redley jump back in surprise at the unforeseen charge. "You idiots better show yourselves before I kick your butts to the moon!"

"Whoa-ho! How'd she find us?" a foolish voice whispered loudly from nearby bushes.

"Shaddup! Ya too loud! Dey could hear us!" another foolish voice replied in more or less of the same tone.

"Chaw-haw! Forget it guys, they already found where we are!" a third voice replied, and it was easy to hear that he had much more of a brain than the Weezing and the Golbat. He leapt out of the bushes nearby Genevra and Redley as they flinched back in surprise, Weezing and Golbat jumping out not long after the Skuntank had.

"We haven't officially met, have we?" the Skuntank laughed as he faced both the Gallade and the Gardevoir. "I'm the leader of our exploration team, Skuntank. It's an _honor_ to meet you."

Naturally, Genevra didn't return Skuntank's mood. Instead, she frowned, the wrath in her face very noticeable. Redley was the same: his red eyes were glowering in detest, clearly unhappy as the three Poison-Type Pokémon were smirking at him.

"Now, now, there's no need to be so _mad_," Skuntank went on nonchalantly, giving no regard to the hostile atmosphere surrounding him.

"What in the name of Arceus did you think you were doing back at the Wigglytuff Guild?!" Redley fumed.

"I would say we were getting back our revenge," Skuntank replied in a despicably cheerful tone. "After all, you did beat up my boys yesterday night down at Beach Cave. We needed to somehow get back at you for that. And what is a more perfect opportunity than to have a little exploration team showdown?"

"It was _their _fault that we attacked them." Genevra motioned towards the Weezing and the Golbat. "_They_ bothered us in the first place."

"Hmph." Skuntank put on a mocking face. "Too bad. You still beat them up anyways, and _I'm_ still mad about it. So we'll get our revenge by proving that we're better than you at being an exploration team! Chaw-haw-haw!"

"…What kind of logic is that?" Genevra frowned with a sharp glare at the three Pokémon.

"It's Skuntank's logic!" Weezing puffed as arrogantly as he could through Genevra's piercing glare.

"Still!" Redley spoke up this time, with a hint of a timid tone in his voice. "You didn't have to barge in on us like that! And how did you know about Test A in the first place?"

"Oh, we've been with the Wigglytuff Guild for a long time as an official exploration team." Skuntank smirked once again. "And _we_ know how things work around that guild. Did you know? We happen to be one of the strongest exploration teams in town."

Genevra scoffed. "Right. Considering that we beat you last night at Beach Cave."

"Chaw-haw! We'll show you our _true_ power," Skuntank continued in his wretchedly nonchalant voice. "Perhaps if I were at the Beach Cave with my boys yesterday, there wouldn't be any doubt that I would defeat you two in a flash. Besides, we have one thing you don't: _talent_."

_Great Palkia, you're so full of yourselves…_ Genevra sighed out loud at this thought.

"Whatever you say now, you'll regret later!" Redley added even louder than before, as if he were declaring war between the two exploration teams.

"Heh-heh! Ya shouldn't be da one to talk so big, _chicken_," Golbat laughed.

"Chaw-haw! Anyways, let's go prepare ourselves for the big day tomorrow!" Skuntank laughed as he began walking towards Treasure Town. "We'll see you tomorrow, Team _Sneezers_."

Redley and Genevra watched in cold silence as Team Skull marched their way to Treasure Town, many of its good Pokémon nearby slowly scooting away near the malevolent three Pokémon as they continued walking deeper into the neighborhood.

"Hey, Redley."

Redley looked at Genevra. Her eyes seemed to be hiding under shadows, so the Gallade wasn't able to see her full expression. Nonetheless, he could feel that the Gardevoir was angry. "Y-Yes?"

"Are we in kindergarten?"

"…N-No."

"Those three… are _really_ immature."

"I… I know."

"They're getting on my nerves… very… badly."

To this, Redley was not sure how he could respond properly. Instead, he let an ungraceful silence hang over, making Redley feel even clumsier for not responding.

"Oh, it's Redley!" another familiar, though friendly, voice called from nearby behind Redley.

Redley turned around, grateful for the intrusion. Genevra did the same not long after she realized there were more Pokémon to greet them. Redley recognized Wynaut and Wobbuffet walking happily towards a pile of boulders near one side of the Crossroads, with Excadrill, Machoke, and Conkeldurr following behind. Every Pokémon walking carried piles and piles of tidily-cut wood, with buckets of spontaneously colored paint alongside, neatly accompanied by paintbrushes of varying sizes.

"Hey!" Redley greeted happily, seemingly revitalized by seeing the group of Pokémon. "It's been a while! How have you been?"

"We're doing great!" Wynaut cheered. "Today's a great day for all of us!"

Wobbuffet merely smiled in response to Redley's question, for his smile spoke enough. He was the silent type, using his own face and body to speak rather than his voice.

"What're doing with all of the stuff you're carrying?"

"We're going to build a café!" Wynaut replied with joy. "Recently, Spinda decided to open a café! It's going to be called Spinda's Café, and we're expecting it to be finished in one week! You should come to our grand opening next Saturday!"

"Really? It sounds fun!" Redley laughed delightfully. The laugh was almost too delightful, and Genevra noticed this.

_Is he... forcing the laugh?_

"This café is going to be built specifically for exploration teams too! It's going to be great!" Wynaut continued, and then noticed the quiet Gardevoir standing in the background. "Oh? Redley, you got a girlfriend?"

"WHHAAAAAAAAATTT?" Both the Gallade and the Gardevoir blew up together, madly dripping sweatdrops off of their heads, viciously blushing.

"W-We're just friends! I-In an exploration team!" Genevra shook her hands excessively, quickly stepping away from the Gallade.

"Sh-She's right!" Redley hastily agreed, shaking his hands as wildly as Genevra had been shaking hers. "There's nothing really going on between us!"

"Really?" Wynaut tilted his head, an innocently curious look forming on his face. "You look like it though. You two look really cute together."

"We're just in an exploration team together," Genevra repeated, catching her breath. "That aside, I'm Redley's partner, Genevra."

"Ooohhh." Wynaut nodded his head. "You don't look like you're from around here."

Genevra shook her head in response, wondering if Wynaut would ask where she came from. Luckily, Redley had continued the chat so that Genevra wouldn't have to be asked many questions about herself.

"A-Anyways," Redley pushed the conversation along, "where are you going to build Spinda's Café?"

"Right here!" Wynaut pointed to the pile of boulders, in which Machoke had already begun moving them, the sounds of construction working beginning to fill the air. "We hired the Machoke to move the heavy rocks, as you can see. Meanwhile, the Excadrill will dig an underground room, and then, the Conkeldurr will build the rest so that the café is snug and cozy!"

"Sounds like a good plan!" Redley smiled, and then wondered about Spinda. "By the way, where is Spinda?"

"He's out hunting for potential suppliers. Since he's going to run a café, he needs to find Pokémon he can buy ingredients from. He's also starting a couple of projects, including the Recycle Shop and Project P. He's collaborating with the PETF with Director Blastoise, since these projects need the cooperation of exploration teams. It'll take a lot of work, but all of it will pay off in the end!"

"Oh, wow." Redley was impressed, and then looked at Genevra. She had calmed down from Wynaut's earlier comment, though he couldn't help but notice a hint of rouge in her cheeks. "We should really come here at the grand opening."

"Sure," Genevra agreed. "We should be finished with Test A by then anyways."

"Our grand opening is planned to be next week on Saturday at noon!" Wynaut continued jubilantly. "So we'll be seeing you then?"

Both Redley and Genevra nodded in unison, and everyone gave each other a quick goodbye before the two decided to head for Treasure Town. The distant noise of the town grew louder with chatter and lighthearted laughter while the sounds of the construction working gradually died away from the two Pokémon. Genevra noticed the little details of the town, for there were not-too-extravagantly-decorated teepees scattered frequently all around, with totem poles of various Pokémon loosely dispersed between the stores and the teepees. Packs of wood were found near every corner, and where there were packs of wood, there were small, unlit and unused campfires. The half-cobblestone, half-dirt paths spread in various directions around the town, the lampposts decorating the ways. One could occasionally see flowers standing around the abundant green grass if a walk was taken around. The entire town had a different vibe than it did during the nighttime as Genevra remembered.

"Since you're not totally used to the town yet, how about I show you around? Then, we can go prepare ourselves for our evaluation tomorrow," Redley suggested as he noticed Genevra eyeing around the setting.

Genevra nodded. "We might as well."

Redley smiled once again, enthusiastically ready to introduce the places and quirks of his town. He pointed to a nearby shop, its tent taking shape of a Duskull. An exploration team was chatting with the Duskull behind his desk, withdrawing money. "That over there is Duskull Bank. Everyone in town deposits and withdraws their money in there."

The Gallade pointed towards another building across from the Duskull Bank, being a gigantic red and brown dome with bones decorating around the top. "This is the Marowak Dojo. Pokémon who aren't in exploration teams come here to train. I used to train here, but I guess that won't be happening anymore now that I'm in an exploration team with you." Redley laughed spiritedly in joy. Genevra felt her heart pace faster ever so slightly. Seeing the handsome Gallade laugh joyfully made her feel warm inside, though she wouldn't dare show him her true feelings.

"Anyways," Redley continued, "over there, with the Electivire tent, is the Electivire Link Shop. Pokémon go there to link certain moves together, so it's basically a shop that combines moves. Not many Pokémon go there. When two moves are linked together, it uses more energy from the body, and it might not be able to endure the pressure of using two moves combined. Still, Electivire over there still looks pretty happy to be running the shop. And across the Electivire Link Shop is the Chansey Day Care. Chansey runs the place, watching over young Pokémon and abandoned Pokémon eggs discovered by exploration teams who can't afford to take care of them."

Genevra continued to take in everything Redley was saying, absorbing the sights of the shops as they continued walking deeper into the town while passing over a makeshift, wooden bridge on top of a small stream. Redley mentioned all of the buildings, ranging from the Kanghaskhan Storage to the PETF to the Town Hall. It had everything that made the small, bright town a functional society. The Gardevoir thought of how the town was so wonderfully peaceful, minus Team Numbskulls, who were too ignorant to see their own immaturity.

The two Pokémon were stopped constantly while walking throughout the town, mainly for Genevra, the "new Gardevoir" who seemed to have come from nowhere. Genevra wasn't so cozy being greeted by so many Pokémon at a time, and when Redley mentioned how they were in an exploration team together, indications of Team Raider and Team Charm popped up again. She learned in no time how much attention she seemed to be getting, and she didn't appreciate it as she'd rather stay quiet in the small corners of society, minding her own business, not making any commotion. To her dismay, many Pokémon seemed attracted to the "new Gardevoir," all hoping to get a glimpse of her or perhaps even talk to her and became acquainted. It didn't help that there were multiple Pokémon making a slight mention of how Genevra was Redley's girlfriend, to which she became increasingly annoyed about. Regardless, she was able to persevere, not wanting to make any bad impression about herself.

_All we were supposed to do was to get myself used to the town… did it have to mean getting to know all of the citizens too? _Genevra thought.

"We have everything here," Redley concluded as they now stood in the Treasure Town Square, finished with the tour. "Great, isn't it?"

"It must be nice to be live here your entire life to live in a town with such a positive atmosphere," Genevra commented quietly.

Redley looked at Genevra with soft curiosity, surprised. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's a great place to live around. I feel lucky to have lived here."

Another silence was threatening to take over, and Genevra would not let this happen. She straightened herself, and faced Redley. "Well, then, don't you think we should prepare for our evaluation tomorrow?"

"Right! We should go to the Kecleon Shop for all of our supplies," Redley remembered, and the two Pokémon walked their way to the shop.

"Oh, hello Redley!" the younger, green Kecleon greeted Redley as he noticed him walking up to the shop.

"Who is this you have with you?" the older, purple Kecleon added as he noted Genevra.

"This is Genevra," Redley introduced as she greeted them mannerly.

"You don't look like you're from around here," the younger Kecleon went on after she finished.

Genevra shook her head. "No."

"Are you somehow related to Gardevoir from Team Charm?"

The mention of the Gardevoir from Team Charm bothered Genevra, but she shrugged it off as she answered the Kecleon's question. There wasn't any point in getting so miffed over a Gardevoir she didn't even know.

"I don't know who she is," Genevra said bluntly, though not meanly either.

"Really? You look very beautiful like she!"

Genevra merely gave a tight smile. It was clear that she wasn't very comfortable with such responses.

Redley smiled at Genevra. She seemed to be adapting to the society quite well, even if her smile wasn't the most natural or friendly.

"Anyways," Genevra moved on in a gentle business-like tone, turning her head to find a smiling Redley, "let's move on. We're here to prepare ourselves for the big evaluation tomorrow."

"Right." Redley looked at the shelves behind the shop. "We'll probably need some Oran Berries, and… actually, that might be all we need."

"Alright then! There are Oran Berries in stock today! How many do you need?"

"We'll take six of them."

"That'll be 300 Poké!"

With business done, Redley and Genevra were not quite what to do for the rest of the day. The Gallade was about to suggest to Genevra that perhaps she could go to the Treasure Town Library, since it was possible that if Genevra was exposed to certain information, she could somehow retain her memory, even if it was just a bit. He couldn't tell this to Genevra in time, as he was interrupted by a sudden cutoff.

Out of nowhere, a Girafarig stumbled out of the Treasure Town Hospital with a messenger bag hanging around his neck, overloaded with letters and envelopes. He breathed in heavily, clearly exhausted from running around, and began galloping again, suddenly crashing into Redley. The papers from his messenger bag flew recklessly all over the ground.

"Owowowow!" Girafarig felt stars and birds circling around his head as his eyes swirled from the impact.

Immediately, Genevra leaned down to help Redley and the Girafarig up. "Are you both okay?"

"More or less," Redley mumbled as he rubbed his head. Genevra reluctantly offered a hand, ignoring the fact that they would be touching each other if Redley took it. As expected, he took it, though he didn't seem to linger on their touch. They released each other's hands when Redley was able to stand up, and attention was given to the Girafarig.

The Girafarig moaned a bit in pain, before shaking his head and suddenly realizing he was late.

"I'mlateI'mlateI'mlate!" he exclaimed loudly in a worried tone, speeding his words. "I'm late! I need to get to Wigglytuff Guild! And now the letters are all over the place!"

Genevra scurried to the floor, grabbing all of the papers she could find on the floor as Redley did the same. When she grabbed everything she could see in sight, she put them back into Girafarig's messenger bag as he tried picking up some of the letters using his own teeth.

"I owe you guys one," Girafarig panted as he thanked the two Pokémon profusely before heading towards the Wigglytuff Guild. "I need to calm down, yeah, I need to calm down. And I owe you guys one!"

"You're welcome!" Redley yelled as the Girafarig ran off in a panic.

"…Is the Girafarig usually like this?" Genevra asked.

"Well, he's the kind to freak out when he's off schedule," Redley answered. "He's a very meticulous Pokémon, and he wants everything perfect, and on time."

"Ah." Genevra's eyes drifted away from the Girafarig as she suddenly noticed a stray letter lying a few yards away from where they stood. "It looks like a letter was forgotten."

The Gardevoir went over to the letter, half open from its envelope, revealing a good amount of its text. Genevra hadn't meant to read the letter, but the text stood out quite blatantly, and so she was able to read the following:

_Dear Exploration Teams of the Wigglytuff Guild,_

_ My name is Doctor Leavanny, the main doctor in charge of the Treasure Town Hospital. I have a patient named Spoink, who has recently lost his precious Pearl. Right now, he is in danger of losing his life at any day, for if he does not have his Pearl, he weakens and cannot survive. We suspect he has up to nearly a week, but do hurry…_

_ He mentioned that it has been stolen by a gang of thugs living near Drenched Bluff, and the Magnezone Police Department have no time to find the Pearl…_

"Hey, Genevra, is everything okay?" Redley noticed how Genevra stood quite still as she was reading the letter, almost as if she could not breathe.

"…Redley…" Genevra handed to letter to the unaware Gallade, before realizing that a Pokémon's life was on the line. As he was reading the letter, Genevra spoke urgently. "We need to go save his life, _now_. We can't just let a Pokémon die like this!"

Redley looked at the determined Gardevoir, and then back at the letter. They weren't completely prepared for exploring, and there was that evaluation tomorrow. Yet, comparing the evaluation to the letter, a Pokémon's _life_ was in danger and it seemed much more moral go rescue Spoink's Pearl than to wait for tomorrow to start the evaluation.

"B-But, we're not completely…" Redley faltered at his reasons, and then shook his head. He couldn't possibly make an excuse for not saving a Pokémon's life.

"Let's hurry then," Genevra continued and began running towards the direction Girafarig had run off into. "We'll go back to Wigglytuff and explain the situation, I'm sure they'll understand!"

Redley was slightly baffled by the sudden exclamation, but he nodded quickly, nevertheless understanding the alarming situation. As Genevra continued running, Redley realized he was getting left behind. He began picking up his pace, and then saw a Drowzee running along in front of Genevra before she bumped ungracefully into the cheese-yellow, elephant-like Pokémon.

"G-Genevra!" Redley rushed towards her. Immediately, he ran towards her, and cautiously offered a hand this time as Genevra attempted to stand up.

"Excuse me, Miss," the Drowzee said in a polite voice as an Azurill and a Marill carrying a sack of groceries bounced behind him. "Are you hurt anywhere? I apologize for bumping into you."

Genevra felt slightly woozy, as her vision began blurring. A heavy denseness soaked into her head, darkness covering over as her eyes closed, her body refusing to get up. She heard vague voices, one of aggressive, evil intent and the other in desperate fear.

_"If you don't cooperate with me, you'll be in _very_ big trouble…"_

"_H-H-HEEEELLLLPP!"_

Genevra shook her head in surprise, her eyes jolting open, the dizziness subsiding away slowly.

"Genevra, are you okay?" The Gardevoir found Redley offering an open hand to help her stand. She stared at it for a second or two, and then decided to accept it as she stood back up. Not giving any chance for their hands to linger, she released it as soon as she could stand on her own.

"I-I'm alright," Genevra said, and looked all around her. She thought she heard someone scream. It was so realistic, so alive, and the scream cracked through her ears. It affected her powerfully, and she almost thought that perhaps she was losing her mind. Everyone else around her looked as if they hadn't heard the scream. Not to mention, the aggressive voice sounded just like the Drowzee's, but as Genevra looked at him, she couldn't seem to sense anything malevolent about the Pokémon.

"It's good to hear that!" Drowzee smiled warmly. "I apologize again for bumping you like that."

A timid voice spoke up this time, coming from the voice of the young Azurill. "M-Miss? Are you sure you're alright?"

Genevra jolted again. _Your voice…! Did you just… Were you the one who just screamed help? _

"Genevra?" Redley looked at the Gardevoir with concern, prompting the Gardevoir to look back at Redley. "Are you sure you're alright? You look spooked."

"… I… Yes, I'm alright. I'm sorry for causing you guys worry. Please, don't worry." Genevra sighed and forced herself to straighten up. Clearly, no one had heard the scream, and what Genevra heard simply had to be an illusion.

"We're sorry we bumped into you," Marill spoke. "We're just on our way back to our house to deliver back some groceries. And then, we're going to go to Mt. Bristle to find an important item that belonged to Azurill."

"Oh," Redley suddenly spoke, and then remembered about the brothers' ill mother. "Your mother, how is she doing?"

Marill fidgeted, his eyes growing somber as he looked down to the ground. "She's getting even sicker… but Doctor Audino keeps saying that she should be okay in the end."

"Oh…" Redley's eyes held an expression of sorrow, understanding the pain of living with an ill mother, before flashing back to optimism. "Well, tell your mom that I said hi, and that I hope she'll get better soon."

"Of course, Redley!" Marill smiled happily this time, his somber eyes disappearing.

Azurill chimed in merrily. "I'll tell Mom about your new girlfriend too!"

"Eh?!" Genevra looked at the young Pokémon in surprise, this time taking care not to scream at a child. It was the hundredth time a Pokémon had mistaken the Gallade and the Gardevoir as a couple. "I-I'm just a friend of Redley's."

"In any case," Drowzee calmly said after laughing genially, "let's move on back to your house, shall we? Your mother is waiting for the groceries you bought for her, and we mustn't keep her waiting."

"Oh, right!" Azurill bounced up. "Let's go! Everyone, come on!"

"It was nice to meet you," Drowzee said with his polite smile as Azurill bounced away. Soon, he realized the young Pokémon's surprising energy, and began chasing after him, yelling, "Wait! Don't leave by yourself!"

"I'm coming too!" Marill responded as he began chasing after. He looked back one last time at Redley and Genevra and waved a quick goodbye. In return, they waved back before realizing that they needed to rush back to the Wigglytuff Guild.

* * *

Wigglytuff was looking at the Job Bulletin Board very carefully. His seemingly empty eyes echoed the envelopes and letters tacked onto the bulletin board, reading carefully the descriptions of the various jobs. It was hard to select jobs for Team Seekers and Team Skull, for none of the jobs mentioned seemed to satisfy Wigglytuff. _Find my Pecha Scarf for me!_, cried one job. _Bring me to my loved one!_, stated another. None of the jobs here seemed to fit what Wigglytuff was looking for.

The guildmaster had looked at the Outlaw Notice Board as well, and none of the villains seemed to be threatening enough either. All of those "villains" he took note of were, in actuality, wimps, who would faint at the sight of any exploration team. They all stole the most needless of items that could easily be replenished: a Green Gummi, a Big Apple, a Sleep Seed. Anybody could get those items without a sweat, whether they could buy it from the Kecleon Shop or travel to a nearby dungeon. Wigglytuff had seen these "villains" before, and they were nothing to be scared of. He felt rather disappointed towards the Outlaw Notice Board. He wondered when they would be updated.

"Newjobsnewjobsnewjobs!" Girafarig exclaimed loudly as he tumbled down the ladder. "New jobs! I'm sorry I'm so late!"

"Ah! Perfect timing!" Wigglytuff hummed delightfully. "I hope we get some good ones!"

"What?" Girafarig looked at the guildmaster curiously.

"No, nothing," Wigglytuff dismissed with a sing-song tone. "May I see the new jobs you've brought?"

"Ah, yesyesyesofcourseguildmaster." Girafarig shook himself violently before slipping the messenger bag off of his neck, opening the bag with his teeth.

Wigglytuff bent down to look at the envelopes labeled with the address, _Wigglytuff Guild_. He tore open the envelopes, reading each one to see if he could find a worthy job. Girafarig stared at him in shock, surprised to see that the guildmaster would do such a thing.

"No… no… this won't do either… hmm…" Wigglytuff flipped back to the messenger bag, finding more envelopes labeled _Wigglytuff Guild_. Ripping the envelopes open once again, he scanned through the letters. When he finally found the job that would do, he smiled slowly to himself, his green eyes beginning to shine with a glossy lush as he read the letter in the envelope.

"Aha!" Wigglytuff cried triumphantly, as he boldly lifted the perfect job in his hand. "This shall do! This is perfect!"

Everyone in the room turned their heads to find the eccentric, loveable guildmaster standing in front of a mess of letters and envelopes, his eyes gleefully sparkling in the light as he held a letter high over his head. They all sweatdropped in collective unison, wondering what drama could follow afterwards.

"G-G-Guildmaster?" a nervous Sunflora asked, timidly taking a step forward to see if Guildmaster Wigglytuff hadn't lost his sanity.

"Yes?" He turned around gleefully, finding that all of the Pokémon in the room were staring at him with a _what-the-heck?! _expression. The jovial guildmaster didn't seem to pay any attention to the awkward silence in the air, as his smile didn't fade away.

"Is… everything okay?" Sunflora continued after a weird, silent pause.

"Why, yes indeed."

No one else could respond to this strangely happy answer.

"Guildmaster!" Wigglytuff heard two familiar voices from above, identifying it as Redley the Gallade and Genevra the Gardevoir. He turned around with a puzzled expression, wondering what Team Seekers could be doing back at the guild. "Guildmaster!"

Genevra toppled down the ladder hurriedly, Redley following after her. Wigglytuff could see that Redley was holding a letter, torn open from its envelope. Feeling more curious, he walked over to Team Seekers, and asked, "What's the matter?"

"This," Redley breathed as he held out the letter in front of the guildmaster. "Girafarig forgot to bring this letter by accident, and a Pokémon's life is in danger."

"We need to hurry," Genevra added quickly as Wigglytuff scanned the letter. "I know we have an evaluation tomorrow, but do you think you could reconsider this?"

"Well, this is unexpected." Wigglytuff frowned. The two Pokémon had a point, for a Pokémon's life was on the line. He thought, _Maybe another exploration team could go ahead and save the Spoink._ But perhaps, maybe he could see how Redley and Genevra could handle the mission. It was rare to see a mission like this, to see a letter in request of saving a Pokémon's life instead of finding an item and delivering it back to them.

He already had another letter in hand, a mission pertaining to a group of thugs found around the top of Mt. Bristle. Wigglytuff thought that perhaps this would be challenging enough for them, since they were a gang of three who seemed to be causing enough trouble for the Magnezone Police Department to consider them outlaws. Most exploration teams could only handle one outlaw at a time, and he wanted to give a challenge to Team Seekers.

Wigglytuff stood for a few more seconds, making swift calculations in his head. Time was running, each moment passing irrevocably. He could let this team save the Spoink's life first, and then he could tell them to do the Mt. Bristle mission afterwards. Perhaps everything would work out after all…

"Since you seem so determined to save Spoink's life," Wigglytuff looked at them with a proud smile, "how about this? I'll let you do this mission, but you must come back by tonight. Tomorrow, you'll do this job," he held up the letter in his hands to show them what he meant. "Are you ready to venture out of Treasure Town?"

"We have enough." Genevra nodded. "It should be substantial."

"Well, it looks like Test A will have a slight twist." Wigglytuff sighed. "If you're beginning Test A today, that means you'll need to finish by the end of next Thursday instead of Friday like it was originally planned."

The exploration team let out a "!" before realizing that Wigglytuff was right, and that they had already decided to start the evaluation a day ahead. The two Pokémon looked at each other, both of them ready to face the challenges that were waiting for them.

"We understand," Genevra confirmed.

"We'll be back by the end of the day," Redley added along.

"You musn't waste any more time!" Wigglytuff urged. "Go! Remember that you're out to save a Pokémon's life!"

Team Seekers said their quick goodbyes as they dashed back up the ladder, rushing to accomplish their first mission in the beginning of their race against time.

Wigglytuff watched the exploration team bolt away, feeling quite content. He had received more than enough surprises for today, and altogether, he felt more than happy to take them on. It had been a while since such exciting events happened to the guild, since it disrupted the mundane, everyday chores that the guild was subjected to do.

More than that, however, he was sure that with all of the events going on, disturbing the ordinary schedule of life as everyone knew it, the inevitable apocalypse that would continue to haunt Wigglytuff. It wasn't merely just Team Seekers, and the fact he decided to give them Test A. More outlaws were popping up than usual, and the Magnezone Police Department suddenly started receiving more reports of theft, murder, and other serious offenses. Many exploration teams also started reporting that mystery dungeons abruptly became more unstable, the Pokémon living in those dungeons growing continuously aggressive and primal. One exploration team came back from a mystery dungeon with a missing team member, and they had to return because they were running out of supplies. Distressed, the same exploration team went back to find their missing team member after they had restocked their supplies, but even afterwards, that exploration team never returned. At least, they had yet to return, but it had been a good few months since Wigglytuff had last seen them.

He told Chatot of this impending disaster in his office a while back, for he had stumbled upon a mystery dungeon that held a prophecy about the forthcoming end-of-the-world when he was still an explorer making renowned discoveries himself. It was written that there would be two Pokémon known as the Seekers who would travel to the Hidden Land to save the universe. Wigglytuff had a copy of the prophecy locked away tightly in a private area, and there were certain details written about it that he remembered reading. Needless to say, he kept this discovery to himself, for he felt the need to be careful it. Prophecies were never meant to be loud and clear, for they would rather be subtle and esoteric.

_I may have to read it again…_

"Alright everyone!" Wigglytuff turned back to the Pokémon in the room, who were staring at the guildmaster lost in his own thoughts. "It's back to work!"

Everyone in the room jolted and immediately did as Wigglytuff commanded.

* * *

I love how ironic my summer is up here in the US of A. I would like to think that during summer, I'd have plenty of time, but instead, I don't and I'm bombarded with stuff to do from other people in real life. Not to mention, the weather is cooler than usual from where I'm living.

I should really start a weekly update for this fic. It'll make me feel better too. XD


	4. From the Temporal Tower, Dialga Called

Physics, physics, physics. Gah, some people love it, some people hate it. Either way, I would really love to study the subject if I have time but the problem is I never have time. But, I do have time for watching physics documentaries, so I spent a good amount of time some of them on PBS and YouTube by physicist "rock stars" including Michio Kaku, Brian Greene, and other awesome people. It's all really interesting stuff, and even though it can really rack your brain because it's so abstract and non-tangible and really _out there_ _beyond earth_, I love it. I mean, if you live in the USA, and you've been to a high school, chances are that you've learned atoms make up everything in the universe, but that's a lie! Atoms do _not _make up everything in the universe, they only make up about 4% of the universe! Meanwhile, physicists and astronomers and scientists in general are completely clueless about dark matter and dark energy, because we really just don't know what dark matter/dark energy exactly does! Dark matter makes up about 25% of the universe, while dark energy makes up more than half the stuff of the universe so it's like "Aarrrgghh!" for the physicists who need to create new math to help explain the universe!

I find it so amazing too that math gets _created_, like, humans literally create math. It's not like algebra was always here, some brilliant geniuses from the past literally invented algebra, and then you have Newton who invented calculus when he was 23, it's just so jaw-dropping to me. GAH!

Anyways, the point is, I spent all of that time watching physics documentaries for a part of this chapter, specifically for Dialga/Palkia/Giratina/Arceus and stuff. I should stop writing so much in an author's note in a _chapter_, for crying out loud…

* * *

Chapter 4: From the Temporal Tower, Dialga Called

Dialga stood loud and tall on the top of Temporal Tower, the empty Circle of Time clicking hollowly behind It. Caressing breezes flew in loosely, like vague, carefree singing. The eternal rays of golden light were shining through soft clouds over the grand pillars, embracing the holy architecture that held Dialga, the God of Time. It closed Its eyes, remembering with all that It could, the Genesis of the Universe.

After Arceus had finished creating the Universe, It went back to the Deep Sleep. And thus, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina were left to create the rest, the Spacetime Continuum. Dialga remembered this very acutely, as Arceus melded away into Its own realm while Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina stood in an empty Universe, the Spacetime Continuum not yet existent.

The three Gods agreed among each other that they would all rule their own domains of the Universe, but all three would be deeply bound together by the Law of the Universe, and they would only be connected even more with the Law they made themselves: The Law of the Spacetime Continuum. While the Law of the Universe contained everything, including Arceus' Realm, the Law of the Spacetime Continuum would only be the stage to hold Life, the stage that would hold the fabric of spacetime, and antimatter. Dialga would reign time. Palkia would reign space. Giratina would reign antimatter, to balance the domains of Dialga and Palkia. And all of this would be the necessary elements to create a stable Universe.

Arceus had created the Universe to keep stability, for the Chaos It was born in was complete Chaos, disordered, deranged, unruly, incomprehensible. Thus, It had created Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina so that such It could ensure that Chaos would not take over again. They were all in charge of balancing the Universe by ruling the Spacetime Continuum so that harmony and order would take place. However, the three Gods understood that just having their own selves rule the Spacetime Continuum wasn't enough. Each agreed to make the one and only Last Expectation, a fail-proof system from wrecking the Law of the Universe, from wrecking the Law of the Spacetime Continuum.

_In Accordance to the Law of the Universe, and to promote harmony of the Spacetime Continuum, there shall be Nine Holy Time Gears. The Nine Holy Time Gears shall be the Last Expectation of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. The Nine shall be placed on a small planet of life called Earth near a modest sun at the warm edge of the Grand Opaline Galaxy of the Spacetime Continuum, of the Universe._

_The First Time Gear is Known as The Holy Treeshround._

_The Second Time Gear is Known as The Holy Limestone._

_The Third Time Gear is Known as The Holy Fogbound._

_The Fourth Time Gear is Known as The Holy Underground._

_The Fifth Time Gear is Known as The Holy Crystal._

_The Sixth Time Gear is Known as The Holy Birthplace._

_The Seventh Time Gear is Known as The Holy Frosts._

_The Eighth Time Gear is Known as The Holy Infernos._

_The Ninth Time Gear is Known as The Holy Waters._

_They who shall bring forth the Heart of the Rainbow Stoneship, lest the fabric of spacetime begin to fail, shall bring The Nine Holy Time Gears to the Temporal Tower Pinnacle, and rest them in the Circle of Time so that peace and harmony shall return to the Universe and the Spacetime Continuum._

_Signed,_

_Dialga, Palkia, Giratina_

_Genesis_

And such was the fail-proof plan agreed by the three Gods.

Dialga remembered this with such clarity, recalling memories at the beginning of the Universe, where even time and space were immeasurable, so immeasurable that it was known to them alone as Genesis. It remembered Its siblings, Sibling Palkia and Sibling Giratina. It remembered Arceus, who was giving the duties to the three Gods.

Time would be a series of perpetual events, never-ending, impossible to stop. It was a fairly simple realm Dialga would have to rule. In essence, time itself would be, well, timeless. There was no way to stop it, as it was eternal and everlasting.

Space would hold the matter of the Universe, the tiny atoms that would make life, the dark matter that would glue together the formations of atoms, and the dark energy to counteract the strong forces of dark matter. The dark energy would force the formations of atoms away from each other, though Palkia was given charge to make sure the dark energy and the dark matter would balance each other out so that atoms would never be too far away from each other or too close to each other. The dark matter, the dark energy, both would be the properties of space in which Palkia would watch over. Like time itself, it would be endless, and there would never be an edge to measure.

Giratina was given the Mirror Spacetime Continuum, antimatter, to watch over to keep in balance with the one Dialga and Palkia ruled. Like time and space, the Mirror Spacetime Continuum would be endless, and it would provide a balance to counteract the Spacetime Continuum. Its only purpose was to create the opposite balance needed for the Spacetime Continuum itself, nothing more and nothing less.

Though all were separate, time, space, and the Mirror Spacetime Continuum, they were all bound together by the Law of the Spacetime Continuum, so that the Universe would keep stable, so that Chaos wouldn't reign like it had once did.

Dialga opened Its eyes, finding Itself at the pinnacle of Temporal Tower, Its eyes gazing over the heart-breaking, beautifully divine Hidden Land. Further beyond the Hidden Land, there would be the beautiful world of Earth, where the Nine Holy Time Gears were nestling. And just recently, Dialga had released the Heart of the Rainbow Stoneship onto the Earth, letting the judgment of the little stone roam around the world, so that a kindhearted and trustworthy Pokémon would discover its secrets.

And not far away in time, It could sense that two genuine Pokémon from the Dark Future had finished traveling back in time. It knew the two were a Grovyle and a Gardevoir, but they were separated by _him_, _he_ who could now travel through time whenever _he_ wished, _he _who would dare control the properties of space in which Palkia was only allowed to do, _he_ who would challenge the Law of the Spacetime Continuum, the Universe. In any case, those two Pokémon were separated, and the Gardevoir met the Pokémon the Heart of Rainbow Stoneship had chosen, a Gallade.

Dialga breathed heavily. If only It wasn't bound so heavily to Palkia and Giratina. Perhaps if Dialga had a bit more control on Its own, It would be able to stop the coming of the Dark Future. Perhaps It could take away the Nine Holy Time Gears on Its own. Nevertheless, It was bound to Temporal Tower and Dialga was not allowed to leave as the tower was beginning to weaken on the delicate fabric of space it rested on.

"**Sibling Palkia… Sibling Giratina…**" Dialga called from the top of Its voice. "**The Chaos is approaching…**"

Dialga could only wait and hope for the best.

* * *

Genevra and Redley were found standing in front of the rocky entrance to Drenched Bluff. There was a dirt path in front, soaked with water on both sides of the cliffs. The old, wooden sign near the path read the name of the dungeon in chipped-away paint, a warning note written under the name reading, _Beware of Predators!_ As the two Pokémon stared at the path in front of them, they couldn't help but feel a weird intimidation shudder into their bodies.

"It looks like we've arrived…" Redley gulped, trying to keep himself calm.

Genevra looked up after reading the wooden sign. "The predators…?"

"It could be them who stole Spoink's pearl." Redley breathed out a quick sigh. "But, the warning does spook me."

"Though I still have to wonder, how does a Spoink wander long enough to get here and lose his own pearl?" Genevra thought aloud.

"It happens," Redley offered, and then shook his head to shake himself some determination inside him. "Anyways, we can't waste any more time."

Genevra nodded, and began feeling courage emanating from the Gallade. Feeling this, she straightened herself and returned his courage. "Let's go."

The two Pokémon walked along the dirt path confidently, walking deeper in between the rocky cliffs that awaited them. Unbeknownst to them, a sneaky Armaldo hiding behind a few, fat rocks snickered to himself.

"It looks like we have new guests." He smiled, and then chuckled mysteriously to himself. "It looks like Cradily and I will enjoy this meal of two…"

* * *

_ "Genevra!" Grovyle called, his voice echoing the endless darkness enveloping him. "Genevra! Celebi! Someone!"_

_ He was in a mist of darkness that would never end, just like the future he came from. There were red, hungry eyes staring at him, floating all around, and he could hear aggressive, primitive pants of ravenous desire. They all wanted to eat him, they all wanted to kill him and digest his body inside their own before searching for their next supper. If the Ghost-Types were around, they would take his own soul to devour. He was, after all, a Grass-Type, and because the future was dark, there was no sunlight to be found, and eating Grass-Types became a special rarity. Grovyle stayed quiet, quickly on guard if any wild Pokémon dared to attack him for a meal. He was accustomed to such things._

_ "…Grovyle…"_

_ Recognizing the voice, Grovyle flinched towards the direction it came from. "Genevra! Where are you?"_

_ "…I…was never…"_

_ "Genevra!" Grovyle ran through the darkness, the ground below him as loose as the air. He was afraid he would fall down, but his determination to reach to the Gardevoir didn't stop him from attempting to reach her._

_ "…Grovyle…" Celebi's voice permeated through the darkness this time, coming from another direction he couldn't pinpoint._

_ "Celebi?" Grovyle snapped his head back around, listening to the echoes of Celebi's wonderfully soothing and wonderfully charming voice._

_ "Celebi!" Grovyle shouted at the top of his voice. "Genevra!"_

_ Suddenly, the ground below him mercilessly dropped, an intense gravity pulling him below to an endless hole of even darker darkness, screams of lost souls and dead Pokémon destined to eternally haunt the dreary Hell of the future._

An accidental thump from the child Wingull's light wings caused Grovyle to pop his eyes open from his dream. He flinched from the impact, and found an innocent Wingull staring at the green lizard with curious and optimistic eyes.

"Oh! Mommy! Mr. Grovyle is finally awake!"

An exasperated sigh of the Wingull's mother came from nearby. "Honey, I told you not to wake him up!"

Grovyle looked around the environment he was in, finding himself lying in a snug, comfortable nest, a thickly woven blanket around him. Above him was a small ceiling of mud and rocks clayed together, giving a sturdy, cool atmosphere to the home. Near the entrance of the home was a small, crackling fire where a mother Pelipper was tending to a pot of roasting berries hanging on top.

The mother Pelipper flew towards Grovyle, a friendly expression readable in her eyes as she carried a basket of freshly roasted berries with her feet.

"How are you feeling?" she asked benignly as Grovyle moved the comfortable blanket away to a side of the nest.

"I'm… feeling a bit dizzy," Grovyle admitted.

"Here, I made some roasted berries for you." She dropped the basket of berries down near Grovyle's feet. "Would you like fresh water?"

"Um… yes, please." Grovyle shook his head, trying to remember his manners.

"Alright, I'll go boil some water," the mother Pelipper said kindly as she picked up a metal bucket to grab some nearby river water. "Meanwhile, if you need anything, just tell me!"

"I found you on the beach, Mr. Grovyle!" The child Wingull flapped his wings enthusiastically. "I thought you were dead, but then Daddy said you weren't dead and he said you were unconscious, so we took you in and you slept for a whole day until you woke up today! We almost thought about calling a doctor too, but then we decided not to because you were still breathing and sleep talking and stuff!"

Grovyle nodded his head, touched by the delightful energy within the little seagull.

"Where are you from?" the Wingull continued.

Grovyle suddenly paled. How would he answer the question? How could he say, _I came from the dark and cold future, and I came back to the past to try to save the world, with my good friend, Genevra the Gardevoir…_

A "!" jolted the Grovyle. He looked around frantically, looking for Genevra's familiar figure. The Wingull noticed this sudden change, and mirrored his emotions. "What's wrong, Mr. Grovyle?"

"Did you find another Pokémon on the beach with me?" Grovyle asked with panic in his voice.

"No." Wingull shook his head, unaware of how worried Grovyle truly was. "I only saw you."

"So, you didn't see a Gardevoir anywhere on the beach around here?"

Wingull put on a thinking expression, and Grovyle could tell the little seagull was trying hard to remember if he even saw a Gardevoir. Panic drenched into Grovyle even more: what if the child Wingull didn't know what a Gardevoir looked like? What if Genevra drowned at sea? What if the thunderstorm washed her away somewhere else, and other Pokémon had found her? More dreadful questions flooded inside Grovyle's mind as he tried to keep himself from a frenzy of fear.

_Perhaps I can find her…_ Grovyle thought amidst the questions. _But I don't know where I am…_

"Where am I?" Grovyle asked.

"You're at Craggy Coast Village," Wingull answered as if it were the easiest question in the world.

The Grovyle wasted no more time asking another question. "Is my stuff with me?"

The child Wingull flapped his wings once again, excited. The Grovyle was asking a lot more questions than Wingull was used to, and he was happy to answer. "Your stuff is outside drying. You had lots of spoiled food, so Mommy and Daddy got rid of them, and your map was wet, so that's drying and your bag is drying too. Oh yeah! And you had a couple of scarves, but one ripped into tiny pieces, but the other one is still okay so that's drying too."

"May I see them?"

"Mhm!" Wingull nodded happily. "Follow me!"

The two went out of the hut before finding a pile of Grovyle's things splayed out, drying under the warm rays of the sun. The map of the world was wrinkled, the circles of ink on the map circling various locations smudged slightly. Grovyle's Defense Scarf was still useable, but what was Genevra's Special Band became an unrecognizable clump of fabric. It was tattered and torn everywhere, far from being useful. As the Wingull had mentioned, all of the food was thrown away, since they'd been spoiled. Grovyle crouched down and touched his remaining possessions.

"Mr. Grovyle, are you an explorer?" Wingull asked as if he were an eager schoolchild. "Mommy and Daddy think you're an explorer because you have a map and stuff."

_I'm not an explorer,_ Grovyle thought in response, _I'm a Pokémon from the future. I am here to do one thing, and that is to prevent the Dark Future from happening while there is time today… So that innocent and good Pokémon like you and your mother and father won't have to witness the terror of the Dark Future…_

"Yes, I am," Grovyle said, forcing himself to smile. "I'm an explorer."

"So that's why you have such a cool map!" Wingull smiled even more happily in return. "I wish I could go around and explore, you know? Maybe I might not be the best explorer ever, but traveling around the world still looks like so much fun!"

Grovyle held his smile, not wanting to make the positive air turn into a negative one. Still, that wouldn't change the inevitable fact that he would have to leave wherever he was, and he would have to start on his main quest. If he had to, he would have to do it alone, though he hoped Genevra was still out there so that he could have some help in collecting the Time Gears.

"Mr. Grovyle! Why are these nine places circled around?" Wingull pointed with his beak on the map to show what he meant. "Are they where treasure is?"

Grovyle was wary. Did the Wingull know that these places contained the Nine Holy Time Gears? What if his parents had told him? "Maybe… I'm not really sure, so that's why I'm traveling to those places with my partner, though I can't find her…"

"You had a partner with you?" the mother Pelipper asked as she flew back over carrying a full bucket of water.

Grovyle turned around to find the Pelipper. "Yes. I did. She was a Gardevoir, and we got lost at sea during a thunderstorm."

"Ah, it was that really nasty thunderstorm." The mother Pelipper nodded, understanding. "You and your partner got separated there, I'm guessing?"

"…That's what must've happened."

"Maybe she's alive! Why don't we call the Magnezone Police Department? They might've found her."

Grovyle closed his eyes, and thought carefully. He didn't want to risk any more Pokémon knowing about himself or Genevra. They were Pokémon from the future, and they were supposed to go back to the past to collect the Time Gears as discreetly as possible. They couldn't risk their identities in front of anyone. There would be serious danger in doing so.

"I'm sure she's alive," Grovyle said with confidence, and smiled. "She's not weak enough to drown from any thunderstorm out at sea. She's probably washed up somewhere else."

"Oh, but don't you think you should at least contact the Magnezone Police Department? Like you said, if she's washed up somewhere else, they might've found her!"

"No, that won't be necessary," Grovyle said as firmly as he could, so that the mother Pelipper really wouldn't contact any kind of law enforcement agency. "I know that she's strong. She's definitely strong enough to take on any storm."

The mother Pelipper looked at Grovyle with awe, curious and not quite understanding what Grovyle meant. Nevertheless, she insisted again that they contact the Magnezone Police Department.

"No," Grovyle replied firmly again in response. "I'll find her again. We've gotten lost many times, and we always find our way back to each other."

This said, Grovyle leaned back down and began stuffing away his things back into the half-dry, but useable, bag. Wingull and the mother Pelipper looked on at surprise.

"You're leaving now?" Wingull asked.

"Well, I do have business to do."

"But you haven't eaten anything! And you haven't had any water!" the mother Pelipper exclaimed.

Grovyle finished packing up his things, carefully placing Genevra's ripped up Special Band into a small pocket of his bag. Without any warning, his stomach growled.

"You're still hungry, Mr. Grovyle," Wingull observed rather correctly. "And since all your food is spoiled, at least take some berries and apples with you for exploring later."

He looked at the Pokémon who had taken him under their wing. They seemed to have an absolute care for Grovyle, even if he was some random Pokémon washed up on the beach. _How wonderful this world is_, Grovyle thought to himself. _You would never have such kind and caring Pokémon look out for you after a storm when you're washed up on a beach back in the Dark Future. If anything like that happened, you'd be eaten right on the spot… But then again, this only gives another reason as to why you need to hurry up and collect those Time Gears. Genevra must be alright, she's a strong Pokémon who's endured unbearable tragedies. So if you can collect them as quickly as you can, you can help spare good Pokémon like these, so that they won't have to suffer the pain of the Dark Future…_

"I am on a schedule," Grovyle said to them. "I can't stay too long. But, thank you. I am very grateful for your hospitality."

_If they should ask what I'm doing, I'll have to tell them lies…_

"Well, as long as you get something to eat and you're ready to stock up, then I think you're okay to go," the mother Pelipper said with bright eyes. "Being an explorer is lots of work, and anyone who is an explorer has my respect."

Grovyle simply nodded with a smile.

"Well, let's boil some fresh water for you and then help feed you. You look like you're starving! Have you eaten anything in the past few months? You must've been on some dangerous exploration!"

_I came from the Dark Future, where there is no such thing as the sun and everything… everything is dead… and cold… there is no light, and if it were not for Celebi, I would've died…_

"I was." Grovyle nodded, and then suddenly recognized the warm rays of the sun permeating lovingly into his skin. All Grass-Types loved this feeling, this feeling in which the sunlight would kiss their skin all over with a gentle passion and allow them to retain energy. This was a rare treat for him in the Dark Future, and only Celebi would help him obtain enough sunlight to retain his life in the body he had by making quick few-minute trips to a past where sunlight was abundant. "May I stay out here? The sun is very nice today."

"Of course!" The mother Pelipper smiled. "Better for Grass-Types like you to stay out under the sunshine."

Wingull flapped his wings joyfully. "I'll go back inside and get the basket of roasted berries!"

_How nice…_ Grovyle thought, and then his mind drifted towards Genevra. _I really do hope Genevra is out there… somewhere. We've survived worse than this. A thunderstorm like the night before isn't anything as bad as the Dark Future, so I have no doubt she is alive… Genevra, are you being treated well too? Do you have good Pokémon, like this Wingull and his parents, who are taking care of you, like how they are taking care of me? …We do need to hurry though, because time will run out if we are not quick enough to collect the Time Gears… Genevra…_

As the Wingull handed Grovyle a roasted Oran Berry, Grovyle thanked the Wingull amiably, and chewed on the berry, praying that the Gardevoir was doing well.

* * *

Genevra sighed casually as she knocked out another wild, aggressive Shellos with a Psychic. Redley could only look at the Gardevoir in surprise as they walked deeper into the Drenched Bluff.

"How… do you manage to knock out these Pokémon like it's so… normal?" Redley asked after Genevra had KO'd a good number of Pokémon, more than he could keep track of.

"It just… seems natural to me," Genevra answered quite aloofly. "Yet, I'm surprised that back when we were at Beach Cave, there weren't any wild Pokémon at all…"

Redley finished off another Chingling with a Leaf Blade as he replied, "Some mystery dungeons have wild and aggressive Pokémon who live there, and there are some who don't have any Pokémon that inhabit them because the territory is claimed by a boss Pokémon too scary to live with. But, the Beach Cave is an exception, partially because it's so close to Treasure Town, one of the more peaceful, non-wild settlements where Pokémon won't attack each other upon sight."

Genevra nodded her head, comprehending Redley.

When it became apparent that the mystery dungeon couldn't be travelled any further, the Gardevoir and the Gallade stopped walking and stood at the dead end.

Both Pokémon took a good look around their setting, noticing how much darker the space around them was. The cliffs of Drenched Bluff were higher, more dominating, only allowing narrow and limited sunlight to shine nimbly onto the half-sandy and half-rocky floor. Not too far away into the Drenched Bluff was a shining, lustrous pearl, and both Redley and Genevra instantly recognized that it belonged to Spoink. It was resting on top of a small, nature-made water fountain, the water trickling down into two separate streams that flowed throughout the bluff. Behind the fountain was an un-seeable darkness. If one were to venture into the darkness, some kind of a light source would be required to navigate through.

"We found the pearl," Redley said with slight surprise in his voice, not really sure why the task had been easier than he had thought it would be.

"I thought the letter said that there would be a gang of thugs, though," Genevra noted, attempting to sense for any Pokémon around.

"Thugs!" an unfamiliar, delirious voice laughed. "How uncouth!"

"Who's there?" Redley yelled, raising an arm to prepare a move.

The voice laughed again, this time, the Pokémon accompanying the voice slowly crawling out of the darkness behind the water fountain. A Cradily nearly the height of Redley slithered with its four, stubby, sea-green legs. Her half-circle, unusually yellow eyes eyed the Gardevoir and the Gallade, wondering what they would both taste like in her mouth. Her pink tentacles circling around her head began to secrete a digestive acid, ready to savor the Pokémon who came to visit today.

"I'm Cradily," the Cradily introduced herself with an oddly appeasing voice. "You two Pokémon must be very tired from your long way here."

Genevra and Redley looked at each other, careful of what would happen next. Both began to feel the fear of being ready to be eaten, something that was unpleasantly scary.

"…Yes," Genevra replied warily.

"But," Redley added, catching Genevra's tone, "we came here for the pearl behind you. Then, we'll go back."

"Oh, but don't you want to rest a bit before you go back?" Cradily asked in an intoxicating, sweet voice. She seemed to take no care for the pearl behind her.

"No, we're quite alright," Genevra answered, slowing starting to inch around the Pokémon in one direction.

"Well then." Cradily laughed strangely, almost disappointingly. "Well then, that's… that's too bad. Armaldo, dear…"

A heavy silence began seeping into the air. Another Pokémon began to creep out of the darkness, this time, an Armaldo. Genevra stopped, though she hadn't reached very far. At most, she had moved just a few centimeters away from Redley.

"Why don't you stay here?" the Armaldo asked with the same delirious tone as Cradily's. "We promise to make you as comfortable as you can be while you rest."

Redley gave Genevra a quick look, one that read, _There is no doubt that they are going to eat us!_

Genevra shook her head swiftly with one nod, indicating she understood Redley, and that she was just as scared as he was.

"No," Redley replied again, more solidly this time. "We'll… We'll be fine."

"That… that really is too bad…" Armaldo smiled weirdly. "If that's so…"

"Then prepare to be eaten!" Cradily shouted wildly as an unpleasant blob of Acid began heading for the two Pokémon, finishing Armaldo's sentence.

Genevra and Redley dodged away from the blob just in time before the Acid was able to hit either of them. While Genevra made it safely, she wasn't able to breathe a sigh of relief. By her arm, Genevra was suddenly pulled aside by a hard claw, and she realized that Armaldo had grabbed her. She was nearly snapped in two by his X-Scissor in the face, though she was lucky enough to dodge that hit. Struggling to release the claw wrapped tightly around her arm, she used a Psychic to take control of the entire Armaldo, forcing him to release his grip on her as she ran towards the pearl sitting patiently on the fountain.

Redley, meanwhile, had slammed the Cradily directly in the face with a Night Slash. He repeatedly continued this, not wanting to give any time for the Cradily to get up. From the corner of his eye, he saw Genevra run for the pearl, grabbing it and jamming it into her bag. Seeing the task accomplished, Redley leapt back from the Cradily, giving a noticeable distance between her and the Gallade. To his surprise, Redley could see the Cradily was already knocked out unconscious, the secreted acid from the Cradily drooling all over the rocky ground.

Genevra hit the Armaldo one last time with a Psychic, mustering all the energy she could. It was enough to render the Armaldo unconscious, and when she had finished, she stared at her hands in surprise.

_Since when was I this strong? I only knocked him out in two hits!_

"We… did it…" Genevra spoke quietly, her heartbeat slowly relaxing. Her body had started cramping during the battle as well, though the pain didn't seem to be so prominent.

"…Yeah."

"I thought they would be worse…"

Genevra stayed quiet, pondering on the situation that had happened. Natural predators in the Pokémon world she lived in were meant to happen, so having carnivorous Pokémon show up and try to eat you were normal. She had expected that these Pokémon would be harder to take down. Yet, something told her that she had endured much worse than this and that Pokémon like the Cradily and the Armaldo were nothing compared to…

_Compared to what?_ Genevra made a face as she tried to work her mind. _Cradily and Armaldo were trying to _eat _us, what else could be worse than this? Why do I keep feeling that I've had worse? That even though Cradily and Armaldo were trying to eat me, I've been through more life-threatening situations…?_

"Genevra?" Redley asked.

The Gardevoir snapped out of her distant thoughts, her head moving towards Redley's direction.

"You looked spaced out. Are you okay?"

"I… I was trying to remember something." Genevra shook her head in exasperation. "But right now, I can't remember as well as I want to."

"Well," Redley said in a hopeful reply, "maybe if we get back to Treasure Town and get another good night's sleep, you can remember. I mean, we've got the pearl, and we're not going to get eaten. Spoink is waiting for us back there."

Genevra looked at Redley with lucidly gracious eyes. "Let's go back, Redley."

Redley affectionately smiled back, and then laughed warmly. "We completed our first mission as an exploration team! And we're still alive!"

Genevra merely nodded, allowing a very soft smile to form on her lips.

* * *

By the time the Seekers had returned back to Treasure Town, the sun had already finished setting. Twilight was ready to take over the sky, and the Gardevoir and the Gallade were walking up to the Treasure Town Hospital, tired, exhausted, yet feeling accomplished and humbly proud.

"The letter says to come here to the hospital where Spoink's room is," Redley read out loud from the letter. "And afterwards, we can get our reward from the PETF."

"I'm so exhausted," Genevra breathed through quick, small gasps. "I could care less about the reward at the moment."

"We're almost done though!" Redley encouraged the Gardevoir as he opened the door to the hospital. Being courteous, he allowed Genevra to go into the building first.

The two Pokémon checked in with the receptionist, and they quickly exchanged greetings with Dr. Leavanny, arriving at a convenient time to accompany the Seekers.

No sooner, they were entering upon Spoink's room inside the hospital with Dr. Leavanny leading the way. Spoink was meekly bouncing around the room, its eyes wide open in fear and unsettlement. His skin was a drab gray, something similar to looking at a depressing asylum with no hope. He weakly sprung back onto the hospital bed, not caring for the blankets that had half-dripped onto the floor.

"Oh… hello, Doctor…" Spoink greeted feebly, and then noticed the Gallade and the Gardevoir behind him. "Who… who are they…?"

"Spoink, you have a gift," Dr. Leavanny said with a genuinely happy smile.

Together, Redley and Genevra took out the pearl from Genevra's bag, handing the pearl to the doctor. Spoink's eyes suddenly shimmered in delight as he recognized his pearl, Dr. Leavanny crowning the pearl atop of Spoink's head.

"It's… it's my beautiful, precious pearl!" Spoink cried delightfully as his arms stretched out in the air, relieved. "My pearl is sitting back onto my head!"

All of the Pokémon in the room shared a small laugh, Genevra having the quietest of them all.

"Well, you guys did it!" Dr. Leavanny looked approvingly at Redley and Genevra. "I just wrote the letter this morning, and I wasn't expecting such a quick response!"

"Well, if it's anyone you need to thank, it's Genevra." Redley smiled at the Gardevoir. "If she hadn't found the letter, we wouldn't have had such a wild day today."

"Oh, yes, how was it at Drenched Bluff?" Spoink asked the two Pokémon. "There was a gang of thugs, no?"

Redley and Genevra looked at each other, remembering the Pokémon there that tried to eat them for a meal.

"Well…" Genevra sighed uncomfortably. "There wasn't a gang of thugs. In fact, there were two Pokémon, a Cradily and an Armaldo, and they… tried to eat us."

Shocked, Spoink and Dr. Leavanny stared at the two Pokémon with wide eyes.

"E-Eat you?" Dr. Leavanny started.

"Dear Dialga!" Spoink jumped off the bed. "That must've been some battle!"

"You don't looked harmed at all either!" Dr. Leavanny observed.

_Well, my body did start to cramp during the battle_… Genevra thought to herself. _But that's nothing major. My body's been hurting all over since the moment I washed up on the beach anyways…_

"Yeah," Redley sighed gratefully. "I'm glad we made it out there."

"But, I'm still curious, how did your pearl get stuck in Drenched Bluff? Was it really a gang of thugs?" Genevra asked.

"Oh!" Spoink suddenly lit up, as if a light bulb above him clicked on optimistically. "A group of three Pokémon came out of nowhere while I was taking a stroll along the path near Drenched Bluff, and something flew over me and yanked the pearl off of my head. I couldn't tell who they were either, but they were laughing loudly and the pearl dropped out of their grip, rolling off into the dangerous Drenched Bluff. The next thing I knew was bouncing weakly back into Treasure Town, the Pokémon here helping me to this hospital."

Genevra nodded, understanding his answer. She could have chosen to pry more into the answer, but she was exhausted, and since Spoink was saved from his death, it didn't seem so important to understand more about the situation.

"Anyways!" Spoink jumped up jovially. "I have rewards for you two since you were so kind enough to retrieve my pearl!"

"Oh, yeah, we need to head back to the PETF." Redley sighed tiredly.

"No need to fear!" Spoink jumped up joyfully once again. "Since you two are fatigued, I'll have them send the reward to your bank account at Duskull's Bank, and I'll send the items to your Kangashkan Storage! You're an exploration team, right? If you tell me your team name, then I'll be glad to use that name to deposit your rewards!"

"That makes things easy," Redley said. "Well, I'm Redley the Gallade."

"I'm Genevra the Gardevoir," Genevra introduced herself, and then went on. "Together, we're Team Seekers."

"Team Seekers, eh?" Spoink smiled happily. "You two look like a unique exploration team! I've never met an exploration team with such a name! But…"

"…But what?" Redley asked.

"Your team name. It sounds better when you're called just 'Seekers.' 'Team Seekers' sounds like too much of a mouthful to say. You should just call yourselves the Seekers."

Redley and Genevra looked at each other in confusion.

"But… exploration teams always have the word 'team' in front of their team name," Redley argued.

"Hm. True. But last time I checked, there weren't any official laws saying that it _was_ necessary."

Unsure of what to say next, a small silence took place.

"Well, in any case," Redley began, "we'd better get going. It's late anyways."

Genevra nodded in agreement. "Thank you, Dr. Leavanny, and Spoink. Have a good night."

"You too!" both Dr. Leavanny and Spoink replied amiably.

Together, Genevra and Redley left the hospital and made their way back to Sharpedo Bluff in the dimly lit Treasure Town, the lampposts shining faintly to light the ways of the paths.

"Don't you think it was… strange that Spoink mentioned our team name like that?" Redley asked Genevra over the soft footsteps of the two Pokémon, now a good distance away from the town.

"It was..." Genevra searched for the word, "unusual. But I don't think we should worry about it too much. After all, our team name is just a name. I don't think it matters so much."

"But you did create the name for the sole purpose of the Relic Fragment," Redley pointed out.

"It was a coincidence. Or at least something similar to that." Genevra sighed and stared up into the calm, starry night. "I do admit, that's a really unique pattern carved into that stone. There has to be something to it that we don't know. Who knows, maybe unlocking the secret of the stone can help regain my memory." Here, Genevra laughed softly.

Redley laughed lightly along with her. "Maybe."

By now, the two Pokémon had been standing under the beautiful, star-filled sky, its hundreds of stars glittering like crystalline sparkles. It was real and genuine, nowhere near artificial like a heavily-sequined dress or counterfeit-created gems. The gentle, docile wind blew sympathetically in the air, providing comfort. It was like looking at a glimpse of a dreamer's celestial heaven, in which the stars were singing in harmonic unison. To see this view would take anybody's breath away, making them whisper with awe, "The world is _beautiful_, and life is not completed until you see _this_."

"Genevra," Redley began in a quiet, unsteady voice, as if he were about to propose his love for the Gardevoir.

"Hm?"

"I know… that I've only met you for only a couple of days, but even though we've only known each other for such a small period of time, I… I want to say thank you. Somehow, you give me confidence, and I… I don't know how I could repay that."

Genevra looked over to the Gallade, though now that they were under the brilliance of the shining stars, she could see that the Gallade's handsome face was now delicately illuminated by the velvety light of the stars. She felt her own face blush red, and began wondering if Redley would notice her blushing. She turned her head back to see the vivid stars, so that she wouldn't have to look at Redley any longer.

"I do have to admit that I like spending my time around with you, I mean, so far, Redley. If… If you hadn't found me at the beach, I wouldn't know where I would be. At least I have something to do instead of wander around aimlessly, trying to regain… my memory. So, I want to thank you, too…"

It was the perfect scene for any pair of lovers to stumble into each other's hands, to stumble into one another's arms, and to stumble while having their first, innocent kiss. Though Genevra and Redley hadn't done either on this night, they did share a wonderfully warm moment together under the stars, enjoying the presence of having the one they loved standing next to each other.

_I'm grateful enough that I have Genevra here with me,_ Redley thought as he looked at the beautiful Gardevoir, the starlight from above softly illuminating her as she gazed back at the stars. _If she weren't here with me, maybe…maybe I wouldn't have faith in myself again… Even if we're just partners in an exploration team, that's enough… Just having her here with me is a gift from Arceus…_

"Anyways." Genevra had noticed the Gallade staring at her, and for that, she didn't want the warm moment to last any longer. In a somewhat gentle, somewhat abrupt voice, she continued. "We should get back to Sharpedo Bluff and get some sleep. We've got another mission to do tomorrow."

"Ah..." Redley swallowed, and then laughed carefully. "Ah, yeah. You're right. We should get to sleep early and rise up early tomorrow."

With that, the two Pokémon made their way back into Sharpedo Bluff, leaving the romantic starry scene.

* * *

Ahahaha, the "Holy Infernos"… I had a kick outta that one; it's so ironic that I simply love the name! XD And dwerp! I finally added wild Pokémon to mystery dungeons so that our heroes can gain EXP while battling and hone up their skills/moves! :D

FireRed/LeafGreen Pokédex Entry for Cradily: It ensnares prey with its eight tentacles. It then melts the prey with a strong acid before feeding.

FireRed/LeafGreen Pokédex Entry for Armaldo: Protected by a hard shell, its body is very sturdy. It skewers prey with its claws to feed.

That would've been a nasty death for Genevra and Redley had they not escaped the Cradily/Armaldo…


	5. On the Wings of a Dragon I

Though this is a Mystery Dungeon Time/Darkness/Sky fanfic, I won't be using the game's map. So when you're reading the fanfic and you're thinking, "Oh, our heroes are going to go to Mt. Bristle next!" the Mt. Bristle you think they will be going to on the game map is completely different from the Mt. Bristle on the map I'm using. The map I'm using has a different layout because I included nine time gears instead of the normal five like the games do. Therefore, if any of you would like to see the map I'm using, you can leave a comment below to let me know and I'll find some website that'll allow me to upload my hand-drawn map to the Internet. Be warned, however, that I am the world's worst drawer, so the map I made does look weird. At least, it looks weird to me. :P In any case, I only made the map for my own reference, but really, I don't think it matters so much as the story does. But I still wanted to get that out there, for those who are curious.

* * *

Chapter 5: On the Wings of a Dragon, Part 1

While Genevra and Redley were sleeping cozily on their nests in Sharpedo Bluff, another Pokémon not as lucky as the Seekers was standing outside the entrance to Mt. Bristle, the atmosphere unsympathetic and unconcerned. Around him were jagged rocks just as cruel as the atmosphere, not bothering to provide any warmth.

Marill shivered in the darkness, the chilly night air blowing against his body as he tried to keep his body as warm as his stubby blue arms would permit him. He had lost track of Azurill and Drowzee in the middle of their exploration at Mt. Bristle for Azurill's precious Water Float. As a result of that, Marill felt that he had no other choice but to find his way back outside. After all, Azurill and Drowzee would eventually have to go outside, right? Regardless if they had found the Water Float, they would have to come back down to the entrance of the mountain.

Cold, lonely, and hungry, he whimpered in fear. His mother was probably anxious about her children by now, and Marill only felt even guiltier because she was ill. After all, there was no one at home to take care of her.

"Azurill!" Marill called out with all that his fear could allow him. "Azurill! Drowzee!"

Marill whimpered sadly once again, angry with himself for not watching his little brother as well as he should have. Mt. Bristle had taken a lot longer to walk to than he had anticipated, even though Drowzee kept on insisting that the mountain was very close to Treasure Town. But Marill wasn't as dumb as one might have thought. In fact, while he was traveling with Azurill and Drowzee to Mt. Bristle, Marill kept track of the time by watching the position of the sun in the sky. When the trio had left Treasure Town, it had been around eight in the morning, and by the time they reached Mt. Bristle, it was nearly three in the afternoon. Drowzee was nice enough to feed them lunch before heading into the mountain, which was supposed to make Marill feel safe around the Drowzee, but somehow did not. It didn't help that after searching for a couple of hours deep inside the mountain, Marill had lost track of the two. He knew it was better to go back outside waiting for them rather than stay inside a mountain filled with wild, aggressive Pokémon, and that was what he did.

_Why… Why can't I take care of him? Why can't I take care of Azurill as well as Mom does? Why did I have to lose him? What's wrong with me? Is it because I'm a terrible big brother? Maybe I deserve to stay out here in the cold night, because I can't even watch my own little brother even though I promised I would help him… _Marill felt hot tears from around the corners of his eyes. They dripped pitifully down his cheeks, crashing onto the ground as if they were raindrops. _What if Mom really does die? Then how will I take care of Azurill? If I can't even take care of my own little brother, then do I deserve to call myself his big brother? And maybe I shouldn't have trusted Drowzee after all either… But he seemed so nice in the beginning! And now, I feel like everything he's saying are just lies, because even though he said Mt. Bristle was close to Treasure Town, it's actually really far away! _

As Marill's thoughts grew more negative and ashamed, he began sobbing out loudly into the night. The mountain winds from up top blew chillingly against the already-cold Pokémon, and he desperately wished that he hadn't left Treasure Town, and that he should've gone straight to the Magnezone Police Department to report a missing item so that an exploration team could go out in search for it instead.

_Why hadn't I just done that in the first place?! I'm a terrible big brother! I should've just asked them to help me instead of just trusting some random Pokémon down the street at Treasure Town! I'm so pathetic and stupid! _Marill wailed aloud, his tears uncontrollably streaming down his round body. It was enough to grab the attention of nearby Pokémon.

"Who's there?!" a sharp, wary voice shouted out from the darkness.

Marill froze, his sobs stopping slowly, a hiccup rolling out of his mouth in response. The Aqua Mouse Pokémon saw a small fire burning brightly in an enclosed glass lantern, a blue hand holding it by the top. Though the fire was shining, Marill could not see the face of the Pokémon holding it.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?!" the sharp voice continued.

"I… I-I'm Marill," the Pokémon stammered through hiccups and breaths. "I-I'm lost, a-a-and I can't (hiccup) find my little (breath) b-brother Azurill or D-Drowzee. (breath) I lost track of them in (hiccup) M-Mt. Bristle."

"Wait, what?" The body that accompanied the sharp voice appeared, and Marill could see the Pokémon was a Croconaw. A Magnemite and a Tyrogue followed behind the him.

Marill, doing the best that he could with the sobs clumsily escaping his body, explained his situation to the trio of Pokémon. As his situation became clearer to the three, they became more aware of what had just taken place.

"You mean, _Drowzee_?" Tyrogue asked Marill.

Marill only nodded, too scared and exhausted to speak any more, the tears spilling out of his eyes at a slower pace.

"Zzzt. Drowzee," Magnemite spoke in its usual flat voice, electricity crackling lightly in the dark air, "is an outlaw wanted by the Magnezone Police Department. Zzzt."

"Wh-What?" Marill stammered, bouncing up in shock. "Dr-Drowzee's an outlaw?"

"He is," Croconaw confirmed. "He has two bad guys with him, a Lickitung and a Murkrow. They've been known for causing significant trouble near the Whitestone Mountains."

"B-But… My little brother…"

Fear gripped Marill more strongly than before. Now that he knew Drowzee really wasn't such a nice guy after all, what would happen to Azurill? With that revealed, it only made Marill feel even more unworthy as a big brother, and more unworthy as a Pokémon in general. He couldn't look out for someone he needed to take care of. It was his duty, as the older Pokémon, to look out for the young, and he had failed to do this with Azurill. This in mind, the little Marill began crying once again, wails escaping ungracefully from his mouth.

Croconaw lowered the lantern and began rubbing the back of the little Marill, hoping that his rubbing would somehow calm down the young Pokémon. In the best, soothing voice he could conjure up, he told Marill, "Don't worry. We already sent a letter to the Wigglytuff Guild about these outlaws. We wrote about the trouble they were causing, and hopefully, someone has found the letter. We tried to take down Lickitung and Murkrow yesterday, but…"

Tyrogue sighed in disappointment, continuing Croconaw's sentence. "They proved to be too much trouble, and we couldn't defeat them. Even with Magnemite here on our team, we couldn't defeat them, so we escaped back down to the entrance. Luckily, we found a Delibird, and he agreed to send our message to the Treasure Town Post Office."

"Zzzt. It's best for you to stay with us for now. It's dangerous out here. You could get eaten by wild Pokémon at night. Zzzt." Magnemite scanned around the environment, checking to see if any Pokémon had seen them. "We ourselves are going back to Treasure Town. Zzzt. Let's leave before some Pokémon finds us."

"But… My little brother…" Marill protested feebly, his red, tear-filled eyes gazing at the threatening Mt. Bristle. "Will… Will he be alright?"

Croconaw, Tyrogue, and Magnemite all looked at each other with worry and confusion, unsure of how to reply to Marill's obvious concern for Azurill. They were brothers, after all, and there was no doubt that Marill loved his little brother.

"Yes," Tyrogue replied with more determination than hesitation. "We're positive he'll be alright. Have faith in yourself. Have faith in your little brother. I'm sure an exploration team will come and defeat Drowzee and his cronies."

Marill nodded weakly, clinging tightly onto Tyrogue's words, snippets of them echoing inside his mind. _Have faith in yourself… your little brother… An exploration team will come and defeat Drowzee and his cronies…_

Croconaw let out a rough sigh. "Well. We'd best be on our way back to Treasure Town. It's much too dangerous to linger around here any longer. Let's go."

Marill wiped his eyes with his stout arms, though occasional tears continued to spill out onto his cheeks. Nonetheless, he was grateful that an exploration team had found him, and that he wouldn't be eaten by a wild Pokémon. The only thing that mattered at the moment was that he was safe. Yet he still couldn't help but feel guilty about the fact that he was in a much more fortunate state than Azurill was. Who knew what was happening to Azurill? What would Drowzee want to use Azurill for anyways? Why would Drowzee purposely lie and pretend to be a nice guy in the first place?

Even though Marill was a big brother, he was still a young child, not even near ten years old. In a voice that compassionately touched the hearts of the older Pokémon around him, he said that he was tired and sleepy. Tyrogue agreed to hold the little Pokémon in his arms while walking back to Treasure Town. After giving his satchel to Magnemite, he carried the Marill. Every step the Tyrogue took made Marill feel the gentle, rhythmic bounces of the movement, and it was this that made Marill fall asleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, Azurill and Drowzee were nearly at the top of Mt. Bristle, Drowzee carrying a sleeping Azurill along his shoulder. It had taken a while for the Pokémon to fall asleep, and even getting the Pokémon to fall asleep was quite a chore. He kept complaining, "Where's Big Brother Marill? I want to find him! He's more important than my Water Float, and we should find him first!"

"Okay, let's search for Marill then," Drowzee said in the nicest voice possible. He didn't want to scare the Azurill just yet. Making Marill get lost was part of Drowzee's big plan, and he intentionally chose the difficult paths to get around Mt. Bristle so that Marill would get lost. That way, he would not keep up with them and find out Drowzee's true intentions.

When Azurill started complaining about Marill being lost, Drowzee, realizing his plans would have to be delayed for a bit, carefully selected paths to walk around in circles. Surely, the brain of the little Azurill wouldn't notice that they were walking around in circles, and Drowzee was right. Azurill hadn't noticed at all that they were taking the same paths, and when Azurill became hungry again, Drowzee fed him. Naturally, Azurill fell asleep afterwards, completely unaware of the fact that he had walked in circles searching for Marill, completely unaware of the fact that the seemingly-polite Drowzee was, in truth, a wanted outlaw.

So Drowzee picked him up and held him like a sack of potatoes, finally making his way to the nearby peak of Mt. Bristle.

_This Pokémon is a really heavy sleeper,_ Drowzee sighed, annoyed. _How are we going to convince him to go into that really small hole for us?_

"'Ey, Boss," a voice slobbered with drool and dribble greeted the Drowzee.

"Didja find the Pokémon you were lookin' for?" another cackled gleefully.

"Yup, got 'im right here." Drowzee lifted the sleeping Azurill and put him down on a small pile of dried grass. "The problem is, he's such a heavy sleeper. Looks like we're gonna need to wait for tomorrow for him to get the treasure for us."

"Well," the Lickitung came into Drowzee's view holding a dimly lit lantern, "it is really late anyways. I can barely see where we're going."

"Still, do ya think this little guy will get the treasure for us?" Murkrow observed the sleeping Azurill. "You do know that there's that rumor about the beastly Salamence living at the tippy-top of the mountain. The little guy could get eaten by Salamence if he actually exists."

"Nah," Drowzee scoffed, rolling his eyes casually. "I don't think so. He'll be fine. 'Sides, even if Salamence does exist, Azurill's so small I don't think he'll get caught by the dragon at all."

Murkrow shivered in the dark, feeling the unforgiving mountain breeze run through his feathers. Like every other Flying-Type, he had distaste for cold air. "Let's get to sleep. I'm freezing."

Lickitung rolled up his tongue unattractively, a motion that would make anybody else not a Lickitung or a Lickilicky feel nauseatingly yucky. "Ya. I'm cold too. We have the Pokémon, we'll just make him get the treasure for us tomorrow."

Drowzee grinned eerily, his long nose curling up in icky delight. "When we get our hands on that treasure tomorrow, we'll be stinkin' rich! And _everyone_ will fear us!"

* * *

The night had passed, and the sun was slowly peeking through the dark sky with its morning rays. Genevra and Redley woke up before sunrise, remembering that today, they had to go back to Wigglytuff to complete the next mission. Before leaving Sharpedo Bluff, the two had a quick breakfast consisting of Apples, Oran Berries, and water.

Redley noted how awkwardly thin Genevra was. It was clear that the Gardevoir never had enough to eat, wherever she came from. What kind of a life did she lead before she met Redley? Did she ever eat enough food before she met him? How come every time she ate something, she never wolfed it down like Redley expected? The Gardevoir was as skinny as a twig, and yet it seemed that she was certainly capable of defending herself with that gaunt body. And when she ate food, she always ate it with civil politeness, as if the famishment Redley expected from the Gardevoir didn't even exist. She never asked for seconds in any of the meals they had together so far, which only made him more curious and concerned at the same time. Did she really get enough to eat?

_Well, it might not matter so much_… Redley thought, brushing his questions about Genevra's gaunt body aside, _Genevra still looks incomparably beautiful, regardless if she's awkwardly skinny. But everything she does is a complete mystery for me... I wish I could just…_

"What?" Genevra asked bluntly, noticing the Gallade had been staring at her once again.

"Ah..." Redley paused, a sweatdrop dripping off his head. "N-Nothing. Sorry."

"Well, we should get going." Genevra sighed, not wanting to know what was going on inside Redley's mind. He had been staring at her again. "Let's hope we don't run into Team Numbskulls."

"Oh." Redley said this in a tone that read, _I totally forgot about them_. "We already started Test A without them."

"Well, too bad for them." Genevra waved a hand dismissively, indicating her irritation for Team Skull. "They're annoying _trolls_ who can't bother to stop being immature."

Redley flinched slightly hearing this stinging remark, not expecting the biting comment.

"Anyways, let's go." Genevra began walking towards the entrance of Sharpedo Bluff.

The Gallade followed behind, and the two Pokémon walked amongst the already bustling Treasure Town, despite the fact that the sun had yet to rise fully high in the sky. The two Pokémon went around the town, visiting the Kecleon Shop and receiving their rewards for retrieving Spoink's pearl, turning out to be a modest amount of 200 Poké as well as a large assortment of Oran Berries, Pecha Berries, and Apples. As the two went along their daily errands, four Pokémon came into sight near the Treasure Town Square. One Pokémon was holding a sleeping Marill, and the moment Redley saw the familiar little Pokémon, he immediately told Genevra.

Genevra, seeing the Marill, remembered the Drowzee from yesterday. A swarm of thoughts invaded her head as she tried to figure out what could have possibly happened. Redley noticed her frustratingly busy expression written all over her face, so it was evident to him that something was storming on in her mind.

_They said they were going to Mt. Bristle to find an item that belonged to Azurill_, Genevra quickly thought. _And they said Drowzee was going to help them, but somehow, when I bumped into him, I heard Azurill screaming help, and Drowzee was threatening Azurill if he didn't do as he said._

"Excuse me!" Genevra pushed aside a couple of Pokémon, leaving a perplexed Redley behind. "Excuse me, I'm sorry!"

The Croconaw, Tyrogue, and Magnemite took notice of the Gardevoir running towards them. There was no doubt that they were tired out, their energy sapped from walking a long way back to Treasure Town, but they were still alive, and they could still walk a little more before going back to their own home. Before the Croconaw could speak for the trio, Genevra went ahead and spoke first.

"Is the Marill okay?" she asked in an urgent voice.

Tyrogue looked at the sleeping Marill, who was placed carefully on top of his shoulder. "He should be. But his little brother isn't."

"Wait, you mean…" Genevra swallowed, a quavering trepidation spreading throughout her body. "You mean, Azurill is back with Drowzee?"

"Genevra!" Redley called from behind. "Wait for me!"

Genevra shut her eyes, the muscles on her face tensing.

"Yes. He's with Drowzee, who is a wanted outlaw by the Magnezone Police Department," Croconaw explained as Redley arrived on the scene. "We tried to take him down a few days ago with his gang, but we failed. Then, we found this little guy in front of Mt. Bristle at night, and then we figured that Drowzee took Azurill with him."

"We also sent a letter to the Wigglytuff Guild explaining the situation, so hopefully, a stronger exploration team has picked up the job," Tyrogue added.

"Zzzt. Still, Drowzee and his cronies aren't any laughing matter. Zzzt." Magnemite crackled with electricity. "Zzzt. You would need a team like Team Raider or Team Charm to do the job. They're much too difficult to handle for even an ordinary exploration team. Zzzt."

"Wh-What's going on?" Redley looked around the group of Pokémon, trying to put the pieces together in his head. He had heard that Drowzee was an outlaw, and that something bad had happened to Azurill, but how—

Without any warning, Genevra grabbed Redley's wrist, interrupting Redley's thought process. Croconaw, Tyrogue, and Magnemite looked alarmed at the two as they began running towards the Wigglytuff Guild. A realization hit them as the three Pokémon wondered how the Gardevoir knew about the Drowzee in the first place — though it seemed too late to ask her now that she was far away from them.

The Gallade couldn't see Genevra's expression, but whatever had happened to her, he knew that some decision had been made up in her mind, and whatever she made up, her decision wouldn't be changed.

"Redley. We're going to find Azurill," Genevra said with imperative urgency.

"Wh-What?" Redley stammered again, struggling to keep up with the dashing Gardevoir. They hadn't finished putting away the large amounts of food they were given from yesterday's mission, so Redley's stuffed satchel was clumsily bouncing along his side, occasionally hitting his side with a bulky _thump-thump-thump_.

"We're going to the Wigglytuff Guild, and we're going to find that letter."

* * *

Guildmaster Wigglytuff was standing quite leisurely outside in front of the Crossroads, holding a single letter in his hand, half-exposed through the opened envelope in the light of the morning sun. He was waiting for two Pokémon specifically, none other being Genevra and Redley.

He heard from Spoink last night that they had retrieved his pearl back, and they did this while two carnivorous Pokémon were trying to eat them. Of course, that was to be expected, for Drenched Bluff did have a sign that read _Beware of Predators!_ Nevertheless, no matter how grateful Spoink was to Team Seekers, that still wasn't enough to convince Wigglytuff that these two were the Pokémon destined to save the world. He still needed to test them, which was why he assigned them Test A, a notorious assignment known to many exploration teams as nearly impossible to do.

Wigglytuff's ears twitched to another direction, picking up the recognizable voices of Genevra and Redley.

"Azurill's in danger and we need to go—"

"Hiya!" Wigglytuff greeted the two amiably in his loveable Barney voice. "How're ya doing?"

The two Pokémon stopped in the middle of their steps, their heads turning to find the happy-go-lucky Wigglytuff staring at them with his glossy, light-green eyes.

"Oh, Guildmaster," Redley began with a noticeably shocked tone. "What a surprise."

"I've got your mission today!" Wigglytuff said before the two Pokémon could say anything else. He jammed the letter in front of the two Pokémon, forcing them to read it.

_To the Exploration Teams of PETF:_

_ We have recently discovered three outlaws, known to be led by the outlaw Drowzee with his two cronies, Lickitung and Murkrow. At the moment, they are hiding near the peak of Mt. Bristle, and they have been causing trouble to Pokémon all over the Whitestone Mountains._

_ Please be aware that these three are difficult Pokémon to catch, for their skills are certainly higher than that of the average criminal. Highly-experienced exploration teams are recommended to take down these outlaws. Further details are included in the notes below._

_Sincerely,_

_The Magnezone Police Department_

"Th… This is it," Genevra stammered as she read the letter. "How…"

"This mission was already assigned to you by me the day before yesterday in preparation for today!" Wigglytuff hummed happily. "I have high hopes for you two! But, this mission might take at least two days, considering that from Treasure Town to Mt. Bristle, it's a six hour walk."

"A… six-hour walk?" Redley looked at Wigglytuff disbelievingly.

"Well, that's how long it normally takes to get there. Mt. Bristle is one of the highest mountains in the Whitestone Mountains. And it _is_ a good distance away from Treasure Town," Wigglytuff said in a matter-of-factly tone. "In any case, you still have to do the mockup exploration of Waterfall Cave _and_ collect some Perfect Apples from Deep Apple Woods!"

"We've got no time to waste then," Genevra said in a determined, straightforward voice. As if it were the most natural thing to do, she took the letter from Wigglytuff's hands and began walking away from the Crossroads. "Let's go, Redley."

"Ah, right," Redley nodded, thanked Wigglytuff, and caught up with the Gardevoir.

"Don't forget that you still have two more missions to do after this one!" Wigglytuff called as they began going out of his view. "If you do not come back in enough time, then you will fail your evaluation!"

As soon as the two Pokémon were out of Wigglytuff's sight, he heard a small rustle of nearby bushes. Small voices muttered in the background, and Wigglytuff unmistakably recognized them as Team Skull.

"We're late!" Skuntank growled, evidently furious at the Golbat and the Weezing, who were frantically trying to keep up with their team leader. They couldn't seem to fly or float as fast as Skuntank could run.

"Hi! How're ya?" Wigglytuff greeted with a wonderful smile. It was almost comical to see a jovial Wigglytuff greet the villainous Team Skull.

"Oh! Guildmaster!" Skuntank straightened himself and awkwardly smiled right back at Wigglytuff. "Chaw-haw! We were going to arrive on time today, but _these two_ here had a little problem." Skuntank snarled quietly at the toxic, puffy cloud and the gaping bat. In turn, both Pokémon glanced away nervously.

"Well, what matters is you're all here!" Wigglytuff spread his arms out wide in joy. "Team Seekers have already left ahead of you! They were here just a moment ago, and I just assigned them their mission."

"What's our mission then?"

"Well, to do the same mission as Team Seekers' mission."

"…Which is?" Team Skull sweatdropped.

"Well, you'll have to find out by stealing the letter I gave them from their hands!" Wigglytuff shot the three Poison-Type Pokémon his signature Epic Smiley. "They're on their way to Mt. Bristle if you want to steal that letter from them."

"WHAT?!"

"That's all!" Wigglytuff happily waved a hand to dismiss the team, walking back up the stairs to his guild. He did need to go back to work, after all. "Good luck to you three!"

Skuntank, Golbat and Weezing looked at one another, utterly confused at what had just happened. When the moment of confusion was lasting too long, Skuntank aggressively pulled himself together, surprising Golbat and Weezing.

"If it only weren't for you two_ lazybones_," Skuntank spat out. "We would've known exactly what we were supposed to do. And now that those losers have a head start, we need to do extra work to keep up with them!"

"S-Sorry, Boss," both Weezing and Golbat huffed in unison.

"Anyways, let's go," Skuntank said in a gruff voice, and began running in the same direction Team Seekers had. "We can't waste any more time!"

Without any protest, Golbat and Weezing frenetically followed their boss in worry of losing him out of their sight.

* * *

By the time it was around high noon, the Seekers had decided to rest at a nearby, shade-providing tree for a quick lunch. Redley pulled out the abundant amount of Oran Berries and Apples in his bag, sharing them with Genevra. In return, Genevra brought out two jars of water from her own bag. They both sat down on the cool grass together, not too far from one another, but not too close either.

"We're not very far off from Mt. Bristle," Redley observed as he unraveled the Wonder Map.

Genevra didn't reply; she merely opened her own jar of water and started drinking it, thankful for the cool drink after walking under the scorching heat of the day.

Redley wondered what to say next, since the two had mostly been walking in silence. He couldn't understand why Genevra was so determined to save the little Azurill from Drowzee, and why yesterday, she wanted to go save Spoink's life immediately. Of course, they were Pokémon in danger of losing their lives; there was a chance they could die.

_But what keeps propelling her to save Pokémon?_ Redley wondered as he couldn't help but stare at Genevra. _Why is it that she seems to have this… consciousness about saving Pokémon? She's always so determined when we're going to save someone..._

"Redley."

The Gallade sweatdropped, nervous if Genevra would confront him about staring at her again. "Oh, yeah?"

"Did you feel something… _odd_ about that Drowzee from yesterday?"

Redley recalled his memory on Drowzee. He was certainly a polite and considerate Pokémon, and he certainly had Redley fooled into thinking that he would really help Marill and Azurill. There seemed nothing malevolent about the cheese-yellow Pokémon, though that thought changed so quickly when he found that Drowzee was an outlaw.

"No. I have to admit, he really fooled me."

"So…" Genevra turned around to meet him. "So you didn't hear Azurill's scream?"

"…What?"

"Azurill's scream."

Redley shook his head slowly, not at all understanding what Genevra had experienced yesterday.

Genevra sighed, and began to elaborate. "When I accidentally bumped into the Drowzee yesterday, I felt—"

A loud, puffy whisper suddenly interrupted Genevra from behind thick, nearby bushes. "Whoa-ho! There they are!"

"Aw, shaddup!" the familiar Golbat slapped the Weezing with a wing, rustling the leaves quite noticeably. "Dey'll notice us in no time!"

Instinctively, Redley rose up from the ground quickly and prepared to battle, a serious look of annoyance and anger mixed upon his face.

On the other hand, Genevra casually rose up from the ground, somewhat expecting that Team Numbskulls would be catching up. There was supposed to be some kind of competition, after all.

_Seriously._ Genevra sighed. _Way to blow your cover._

"Greetings, Team Numbskulls," Genevra said in a nonchalant voice. She wouldn't let them make her fume with fury like they had the other day. "How are you doing today?"

"Dey found us!"

Skuntank jumped out of the bushes, an irritated cross-popping vein throbbing heavily against his forehead.

"You _morons_! You've blown our cover! I said to shut up and follow me _quietly_!" Skuntank roared at the bushes, leaving a shaking Golbat and a Weezing desperately trying to keep himself balanced against a tree trunk from being blown away.

Surprised by this sudden outburst, Redley and Genevra let down their guard ever so slightly, wondering why the Skuntank would call his own team members morons. The Gallade and the Gardevoir glanced at each other, completely distracted, the feeling of confusion and shock transferring between them. Unfortunately, this opening left a perfect opportunity for Skuntank to steal his jackpot.

"Gotcha!" Skuntank laughed gleefully and dashed straight for Genevra's Treasure Bag, containing the letter. "I fooled you, _Sneezers_!"

"It's a trap!" Redley exclaimed too little too late.

"Oh, no, you, _don't_!" Genevra began chasing after the Skuntank. To her dismay, Weezing and Golbat had blocked her entrance, displaying quite a nasty grin to the Gardevoir.

"Whoa-ho! See? Boss was right! We _are _smarter with him! We're not letting you get away this time!" Weezing coughed.

"Heh-heh! Prahpare ta lose!" Golbat laughed right as he aimed a Giga Impact towards the Gardevoir. It wasn't fair that Weezing had puffed out an obnoxious Clear Smog, surrounding the air around her while Golbat was aiming for her.

"Genevra!" Redley ran into the toxic clouds, pushing down the Gardevoir onto the ground as he took the attack from Golbat's Giga Impact.

Golbat shrieked in pain as Redley's half-formed Psycho Cut slashed across Golbat's lower lip, Redley gripping his teeth together from enduring the Giga Impact that had slammed against his arm.

"Whoa-ho! Let'sgetouttahere!" Weezing said quickly, and began skedaddling away towards Skuntank.

Golbat still had a nasty grin on his face, despite the fact that his lower lip felt numb from Redley's half-formed Psycho Cut. He, too, skedaddled away after Weezing, saying, "Sucks ta be ya, _Sneezahs_!"

Genevra fumed, the unpleasant toxic air entering her lungs. She was angry about two things: (a) that Team Numbskulls had tricked them into stealing her Treasure Bag, and (b) the fact that Redley was lying _directly_ on top of her. Okay, so perhaps she wasn't _so _angry that Redley was on top of her. Maybe she did enjoy Redley's body on top of her own ever so slightly. But still, she didn't like being touched in general, and though she did have a slight admiration for the Gallade, she was still pissed off at the obvious and awkward fact that he was basically lying over her.

"Redley."

The Gallade turned to face her, unaware of the iron fury about to explode from within her.

"WHY ARE YOU LYING ON TOP OF ME!?"

Redley's face blushed into the shade of bright cherries, suddenly aware of what had been happening. He stammered, flushed, and sweatdropped madly, removing himself off her body.

"WAS THAT SERIOUSLY NECESSARY?! I COULD'VE PROTECTED MYSELF, YOU KNOW!"

"I-I-I'm s-sorry!" Redley face turned into a deeper shade of red, this time resembling something more of a deep red apple.

"THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR, AND TOTALLY—"

Genevra coughed. A few little, toxic, purple puff clouds came out of her mouth, not allowing the Gardevoir to finish her tirade. The poison from Clear Smog had infected Genevra.

Despite the fact that Redley was being yelled at by his partner, he immediately grabbed for a handful of Pecha Berries, and he offered them to Genevra. She gave him an adamant, furious stare before accepting the berries and coughing out a few more clouds.

"I… I really didn't mean to do that," Redley stammered slowly.

Genevra was quiet as she ate the Pecha Berries, not even attempting to meet Redley's eyes.

"I only wanted…" Redley swallowed, not sure if he could say the next few words as coolly as he wanted to, "to protect you."

Genevra paused, her body as still as if time had frozen her.

Redley swallowed once again. _What's going to come next? Oh, Mother of Mew! I'm dead!_

"…Sorry." Genevra sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. "I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have screamed at you like that. You were right."

Redley kept quiet. He was afraid that were he to say anything else, it might make Genevra mad once again. He'd rather have the silence in between them than him say anything else that could potentially turn off Genevra. But the silence didn't last very long.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Redley unwillingly let out a small chuckle, surprising both Pokémon. Genevra followed not long after, letting out a delightful girlish giggle, slightly covering her mouth. The light laughter soon turned into full, melodious laughter, and for the first time, the two truly shared a heart-warming moment, more than they had the previous night under the stars.

"Let's… just pretend that didn't happen." Genevra wiped away a tear of laughter from her eye.

Redley smiled, glad he could finally see the not-usually-smiling Gardevoir smile. He secretly admired the angelic beauty of her face, her captivating smile only making Genevra more beautiful than he had ever pictured she would be when she smiled. Something like this wouldn't be happening again for a while, and so, to the best he could, he relished the event and stored it in the box of precious memories inside his head. Unbeknownst to him, this was only one of their many splendid and magnificent moments the two would share.

"It looks like we'll have to catch up with Team Numbskulls." Genevra sighed wistfully. "I can't believe they tricked us."

"But," Redley added in a friendly tone, "we still need to finish our lunch. Thank heavens that our food is still here."

Genevra nodded and made her way to the pile of food. "We'll have to finish up, and then head over to Mt. Bristle. Besides," Genevra looked in the direction of the mountain she mentioned, "I'm still worried about the little Azurill."

The sudden reminder seemed to shatter the warm moment, though not too terribly. Both Pokémon remembered that they had a mission to do, an evaluation to complete. Fortunately, that didn't seem to dampen the spirits of either the Gardevoir or the Gallade.

"Let's do our best, then," Redley said to Genevra. To the best that he could, gave her another happy smile.

Genevra nodded positively in response, and the two continued to eat their lunch in a peaceful silence. Without a doubt, their relationship had grown deeper and a little more profound than before.

When lunch was completed, the two swiftly packed their supplies and began rushing towards Mt. Bristle once again.

* * *

Down near the Craggy Coast Village, Grovyle had completed a full recovery. He was well-fed, he received enough sunlight as a Grass-Type, and thanks to the hospitable and kind Pelipper family, he was given plenty of food and other exploration supplies so that he could continue his "explorations." It was well past morning now, and Grovyle felt that he had been freeloading too much off of his hosts. It was why he decided he had to start moving, to start his quest on collecting those nine time gears. It was very possible that Genevra had already started collecting time gears anyway, and he couldn't let her down.

"Mr. Grovyle, are you sure you'll be okay?" the innocent, child Wingull asked as Grovyle put his messenger bag around his neck.

Grovyle nodded, and gave a sympathetic smile to the little Pokémon. "I'm all prepared for exploring now."

The mother and father Pelipper looked at the Grovyle in worry. "Are you sure you have everything?" the mother Pelipper asked in her motherly concerned voice.

"I'm positive."

"And you're sure you'll find your partner?" the father Pelipper asked this time.

"We always find each other," Grovyle assured them. It was true though, since Genevra and Grovyle had gotten lost many times in the Dark Future. They were always able to find each other once again. Why should the past be any different from the future?

"Is there anything else we can do for you?" the mother Pelipper asked once again.

Grovyle was about to reply no, but then he paused himself before saying anything. Just in the nick of time, he said instead, "Please don't call the Magnezone Police Department about either me or my partner."

The mother and father Pelipper gave each other a glance, both sharing the same thoughts. _How strange that an explorer wouldn't want to report his missing partner to the police!_

"Well," Grovyle waved his hand in goodbye, "I'd best be going."

"Don't forget, Mr. Pelipper here works for the Delibird Postal Service," the mother Pelipper reminded the Grovyle, "so you might run into him while exploring!"

Grovyle nodded in comprehension. He had no intent to contact this family any longer, and the possibility of meeting Mr. Pelipper almost frightened him. Grovyle, after all, was not supposed to communicate with anyone in the past. In the least, he could only talk to very few of them.

"I hope I can get to see you again, Mr. Grovyle," the Wingull stared up at Grovyle with bright, innocent eyes. This touched him, and before he could linger on the delightful image of the Wingull any longer, he said gently, "I hope so too."

Grovyle straightened himself, and he said his final farewell, waving his hand.

With that, the Pelipper family waved goodbye in return, calling out wishes of luck and success to Grovyle. He smiled to the best that he could, and continued walking away from the Craggy Coast Village until he was out of their sight.

_Celebi sent us much too far in the past_, Grovyle thought as he continued walking,_ But it gives us more than enough time to collect the Nine Time Gears… And then, we need to find the Heart of the Rainbow Stoneship while we're at it… Genevra, where are you? I'm leaving right now, and I'm heading for Treeshround Forest to get the first Time Gear…_

* * *

Epic Smiley FTW! Oh, I love Wigglytuff and his signature Epic Smiley, even though he doesn't really have one and I made one up just for the fun of the story. :D (If you don't know what an Epic Smiley is, google up the meme. It's the world's best smiley.) I also nearly killed myself of laughter while writing the ending scene between Genevra and Redley. *does a weird party dance*

This chapter was originally going to be up to around 15,000 words (give or take) but I had to shorten it. 15,000 words are good enough for a one-shot, but this is a chapter, so the next chapter will have the next part of Mt. Bristle. Until then! DFTBA!


	6. On the Wings of a Dragon II

Sorry for the delay of the chapter; I'm working on a long one-shot that needs to be cut down by 10,000 words, and I had to cut out a good number of words in this chapter too. Anyways, here's Part 2 of _On the Wings of a Dragon_! I'm pretty glad I didn't decide to stuff 15,000 words in one chapter. But future chapters will be a lot longer than just 6000 words, judging by my plans right now. Why do I type so much?

Still working on the map, in case there are people wondering. Hopefully, I'll finish it by next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 6: On the Wings of a Dragon, Part 2

It was an hour past high noon when Genevra and Redley finally reached the entrance to Mt. Bristle. The sun's burning rays were pounding on those in their way, making the two Pokémon tired and exhausted from feeling the harsh sunlight against their skin. It almost made you want to pity the two of them; having the sunlight scorch against any Pokémon not prepared was uncomfortable.

The entrance to the mountain itself had its own intimidating atmosphere, regardless of the heat of day. Mt. Bristle's exterior gleamed with brilliant shades of white and gray, giving the mountain its chilly demeanor. From the highest peak of the mountain, frosty winds blew down to the grounds, occasionally cooling those who were suffering from the hot weather.

"We've finally made it," Redley panted, the heat searing against his body.

"We're not done yet." Genevra breathed in the air, trying hard to ignore the heat. "We still haven't caught up to Team Numbskulls. After all, they still have my bag."

"…Yeah." Redley sighed, remembering the incident that happened while they had stopped to eat lunch.

Genevra took a step forwards, slightly wary of the danger ahead. She allowed her eyes to close temporarily, and her mind drifted to the events from yesterday, when Drowzee had bumped into Genevra. _How strange_, she thought, _that I was able to sense something malevolent about him. I only heard voices… so what could that have meant? _

"Genevra?" Redley's voice brought Genevra out of her thoughts.

She looked at him, giving no response. Instead, she shook the last of her thoughts away and said confidently, "Let's go. We can't be behind."

With that said, Genevra stepped forward into Mt. Bristle with a stronger gait, her white gown swinging unintentionally with a dramatic flair. Redley couldn't help but get distracted by the gown, the folds quivering with a graceful strength. The small movements made Redley think of Genevra as a whole: elegant and resolute, stately and firm, refined and capable. Even with all of her little quirks, with that abnormally gaunt body and her brisk attitude towards most Pokémon, there was still something captivating about her Redley couldn't resist.

Realizing he was going to get left behind, he abandoned his thoughts of the beautiful Gardevoir and forced himself to get to business. Genevra was already a good distance ahead, and he quickly caught up with her before she could notice that the Gallade was behind.

Inside Redley's mind, he mentally sighed and thought to himself about how much of a hopeless romantic he was.

* * *

In the interior of Mt. Bristle, almost near the peak, three Pokémon were snickering proudly in satisfaction, looking out from a small opening. They had just witnessed Team Sneezers below them arriving at the entrance of Mt. Bristle, and they were quite content at seeing this.

"Whoa-ho, looks like they're still behind!" Weezing puffed out quite happily, looking over Skuntank's back.

"Chaw-haw-haw! We did it, boys!" Skuntank grinned as he turned back to look at his companions.

"Heh-heh, now all we need ta do is complete da mission an' dey lose!" Golbat flapped his wings happily.

A distant rumble suddenly growled in the background, grabbing the attention of Team Skull. They instantly turned their heads to the direction of the sounds, and the three simultaneously thought of rocks tumbling down inside the mountain walls. A silence ensued after the rumbles had finished.

"…H-Hey, Chief." Golbat glanced around nervously. "Doncha tink we should keep goin' up ta da top? I mean…"

"What?" Skuntank glared at Golbat in disapproval. "You're going to be scared of a little rumble now? Besides, it'll only be better for us anyways. Team Sneezers can get trapped in between the rocks for all I care anyways."

"Whoa-ho-ho, Chief!" Weezing looked at Skuntank in slight surprise. "W-Would you really let them die?"

Skuntank contemplated the question for a slight moment. "Hm. Maybe. You know, trick them into thinking you'll help them when you're really not."

Weezing and Golbat shot a quick glance at one another, surprised that their own Chief would go so far as to say he would torture them before they would die. Surely, he was joking?

"Anyways. Let's go going." Skuntank wrapped his neck around Genevra's Treasure Bag, not aware the look between Weezing and Golbat. "We've got a mission to complete, and we can't afford to let them finish it."

With hurried nods from Skuntank's companions, the three continued moving upwards to the peak of Mt. Bristle.

* * *

Salamence softly growled as his eyes opened with a dawdling lag. His body had begun shifting on its own, transferring weight from one side to another, trying to get into the most comfortable of positions it demanded. Alas, his body shifted a number too many times, and it bothered him. It irritated Salamence that he was fully awake, and it seemed that he couldn't find a way to drift back to sleep.

"It's been a while," he grumbled to no one in particular, shaking himself. "Maybe… I should get out more often. She would… be pissed at me if I didn't anyways…"

Glancing around his dark, dimly-lit cave, he stretched his body, the muscles stretching with a content making him half-groan and half-yawn in a refreshed mood. As he continuously moved, the ground below him began rattling away. Salamence suddenly remembered that he was standing at the most delicate floor of Mt. Bristle; his movement determined the next moment those loose rocks below would slide down the walls. Not that it mattered much. After all, no Pokémon lived in _his_ mountain. A long time ago, he had scared all of the Pokémon living in Mt. Bristle away, threatening to harm them were they to remain in _his_ territory. So now, he wouldn't have to worry much about those avalanches; no Pokémon would get trapped in them anyway.

Of course, it wasn't actually his territory in the first place. He had simply used his power as a dragon to scare the living crap out of the Pokémon living in Mt. Bristle, to find a territory to hide and bury himself in. He wouldn't have done that, but due to depressing conflicts in Salamence's life, he chose to isolate himself from the world and live in solitude.

Salamence's ears perked up at nearby voices. There were a multitude of them, and he could make out pieces of the conversation from where he was at. They seemed to drift closer and closer to his dark cave, the words becoming clearer with each passing second.

"…If you don't cooperate with me, you'll be in _very_ big trouble…"

"H-H-HEEEELLLLPP!"

Genevra stopped in her tracks, her ears catching the little Azurill's scream that echoed throughout the walls of the mountain. Bits of Drowzee's threatening, far-from-polite voice scattered around the mountain, similar to marbles clanking spasmodically against a wooden floor.

_It… It came true…_

Redley gulped, hoping to swallow the fear that was ready to take over him. "W-Was that…?"

"…It came true." Genevra released grunts of frustration, desperately trying to suppress her anger. "Great Palkia. We need to hurry."

"…W-What came true?"

Genevra began dashing ahead, leaving Redley to catch up to her once more.

_His scream… there's no doubt, I heard it yesterday when I bumped into him!_

"Wait, Genevra!" Redley called from behind. "Be careful! You'll trip on something if you don't watch out!"

Suddenly, another distant rumble echoed throughout the tunnels of the mountain. It was reminiscent of an avalanche, rocks and stones trickling down the inner mountain walls. Genevra and Redley exchanged a worried look, understanding that there was something dangerous lurking above.

The Gardevoir let out a rough sigh. She had to admit, Redley was right. She couldn't rush things. At the same time, her worry gnawed at her, the anxiety annoying her with such agitation that she had the urge to punch Drowzee in the face the second she would see him. After all, it was all _his_ fault that Azurill was in trouble.

"…Genevra?" Redley asked quietly, sensing something was bothering her.

The Gardevoir sighed once again. "Don't worry. I'm alright. I'm just… annoyed."

"Come on," Redley encouraged. "We'll get there. Azurill's waiting for us. I'd say we're at least two-thirds through the mountain before we reach the peak. We can make it."

"…You don't think that Team Numbskulls have arrived before we did, don't you?"

"I… I'm not sure."

"I just hope that Azurill won't get into the hands of Team Numbskulls." Genevra started picking up her pace again, this time with extra care. Redley followed behind, the anxiety from the Gardevoir transferring to him. He, too, began to harbor feelings of stronger agitation than before.

* * *

At the peak of Mt. Bristle, Team Skull had arrived on perfect timing. Drowzee and his cronies were just threatening the poor little Azurill when he screamed, and the three Poison-Type Pokémon gave themselves a spectacularly grand entrance by combining clouds of toxic gas and stink bombs (courtesy of Skuntank, of course). The clouds swirled with dizzying speed at everyone in its direction, including the poor Azurill. They all coughed in response, the mixture of poison and stink entering their lungs.

"Chaw-haw-haw!" Skuntank laughed haughtily. "We've got you, Drowzee! You and your cronies better show yourselves up before we beat you up!"

Drowzee curled up his long nose and released a few coughs before demanding, "Who are you?"

"Who are _we_?" Skuntank cackled. "We're none other than Team Skull! And we've got you cornered!"

Drowzee looked over to Lickitung and Murkrow behind his shoulder. "Hey, get up! We've got unwanted visitors!"

Murkrow blew away the unpleasant clouds with a Tailwind, and to their convenience, their speed was boosted by twofold. Drowzee and his gang attacked Team Skull without any hesitation, their moves landing a direct hit against the Poison-Type Pokémon.

Drowzee first managed to hit Skuntank with a Hypnosis, leaving him helpless as Drowzee attacked him with a Confusion while the skunk sat there snoozing away. Weezing was left with the Lickitung, who slobbered the toxic cloud with Lick twice, the second Lick paralyzing him. Unable to move, Weezing couldn't attack back with sufficient force, and he was left collapsing on the floor trying to shield himself with another poisonous gas cloud. Golbat, in the meantime, had begun a mid-air battle with Murkrow, exchanging Shadow Balls and Sludge Bombs. The moves that didn't hit one another were left raining to the ground, crashing onto stones and the four Pokémon below them.

Unbeknownst to them, Genevra and Redley had arrived at the top of the mountain, stumbling upon a triple battle. Diving behind enormous white rocks, they hid there, observing the waking battle, searching hurriedly for the Azurill who nowhere to be found in sight.

"You don't see him anywhere?" Genevra asked worriedly.

Redley shook his head. "I can't see him! Maybe we should get—"

"Wait, Redley!" Genevra urgently whispered in a hushed tone, her sharp ears picking up another distant rumble.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO _MY _MOUNTAIN?!" an unfamiliar voice roared with unrivaled power.

The eight Pokémon instantly stopped their movements, their heads swinging back in forth to find the body the voice belonged to.

From behind the mountain wall, Salamence used a Dragon Pulse, the move creating an opening large enough for him to fly out of his cave. Seeing what was happening at the peak clearing of Mt. Bristle, he frowned disapprovingly. "You look like you're polluting my mountain with your terrible stenches and battles."

"Y-Y-You've got to be joking me!" Redley stammered as the Salamence exploded out of the mountain peak. "A-A Salamence was hiding behind there?!"

Genevra simply gulped, lowering herself even further behind the white rocks.

The other six Pokémon sweatdropped madly. Fear gripped them as they realized that they would have absolutely no chance of winning against a Salamence.

The Salamence eyed all of the Pokémon in sight with piercing eyes, settling down onto the ground. "No one leaves until _I _say so. You there," Salamence snarled at the Drowzee, "what did you think you were doing to _my_ mountain? I heard you were threatening someone with 'big trouble' if you didn't do what he asked."

Drowzee's nose twitched, fear strangling the Pokémon even more than before. He couldn't bring himself to respond normally; his body started trembling, and the only thing he knew he could say was, "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Azurill's kidnapper was quick to escape, his fear providing excellent fuel to run away from the Salamence. Before Salamence could do anything, Genevra instantly leapt from behind her hiding spot and stopped the Drowzee from running any further. She punched him squarely in the face before making him unconscious with an Energy Ball, quite content that she was able to deliver his punishment.

Surprised at the sudden arrival of Genevra, all eyes were drawn to her. She let out a nervous breath before demanding, "Where's Azurill?"

A silence seemed to take over the setting, but to those who were listening and watching carefully, the poor Azurill was heard silently weeping. With caution, he peeked from a few rocks he was hiding behind before bouncing up and down to the familiar Gardevoir. Wailing uncontrollably, he clung onto Genevra's skirts, thankful that there was someone he could finally find comfort in.

By now, Redley had gone out of the hiding spot, joining Genevra on the scene with a slow motion, keeping his eyes on the Salamence.

"Wait, you're…" Redley's eyes went wide open at his realization. "You're that legendary Salamence! You and your partner Hydreigon were _the most famous_ of all explorers! You're even more legendary than Team Charm _and_ Team Raider combined!"

Salamence jolted back in surprise. He hadn't been expecting a Pokémon to notice him. He was famous a long time ago; how was it possible for someone to recognize him today?

"You traveled all around the world with Hydreigon, unlocking new dungeons, defeating rivals, and doing all these amazing things everyone loved," Redley went on, even more excited that there was a famous explorer right before his very eyes. "What, what are you doing here out in Mt. Bristle?"

Salamence flicked his tail in annoyance. This was a question he did not want to answer to. Seeing the Gallade and the Gardevoir stand together made him remember his dear Hydreigon, the Hydreigon he loved very much. Both Pokémon carried a certain aura about them, just like how he and Hydreigon used to…

"_I _should be the one asking you that question," Salamence growled at Redley. "This is _my _mountain."

"We were only here for a mission," Genevra answered briskly. "We're supposed to bring back Drowzee and his gang to Treasure Town. And we're supposed to get _them_ out of the way." Genevra motioned towards the trembling Team Skull members.

"Well, well," Salamence said as his wings began flapping in the air again. "I'm still rather mad about what happened. I request a battle."

…

"Wh-What?" Redley looked at Salamence in confusion.

"_We'reouttahere!_" The members of Team Skull whisked away with vibrant speed, dropping behind Genevra's Treasure Bag.

Lickitung and Murkrow were left in the middle, completely unsure of their own selves now that their boss was unconscious. They clung onto their knocked-out leader, shaking him repeatedly in hopes of waking him up.

"You won't be going anywhere, either," Salamence growled at Lickitung and Murkrow. Without a moment's hesitation, he released a Dragon Pulse aimed at the two, and they joined Drowzee in an unconscious sleep.

"Wh-What's happening?" Azurill stammered in a timid, high-pitched voice.

"Step aside, Azurill," Genevra said half-quietly, half-softly to the little Pokémon. "Redley and I are about to battle Salamence."

Azurill gulped, and reluctantly released the folds of Genevra's skirts. He bounced away nervously to another side of the mountain, nearby a pile of boulders.

"One versus two, hm?" Salamence began flapping his wings even harder. "This should be interesting."

Salamence, being faster than both Genevra and Redley, attacked first. His Dragon Rush slammed both of them against a Mt. Bristle wall, the impact creating creases against the stone walls as both the Gallade and the Gardevoir struggled to recover in their limited time. Redley leapt up with agile speed, as expected from a Gallade, and delivered a Psycho Cut to Salamence. It wasn't as powerful as Redley wanted it to be; slamming against the wall left his back horn throbbing with pain, and his body was distracted by it, unable to give a full concentration on the Psycho Cut.

Genevra struggled to rise from the floor, doing her best to aim a Psychic towards the dragon. Like Redley, her back horn was throbbing with pain, and she could only give so much power in her Psychic. Besides that, her body started aching once again. She remembered the uncomfortable position she was lying in on the day Redley had discovered Genevra on the beach, and the stiff pain started activating her body once again. Realizing this, she mumbled a curse. It didn't help that in a serious battle like this one, her body would fail to help her.

Salamence flew around in circles, planning to make it difficult for both Pokémon to attack him. He let out a ruthless Flamethrower to Redley, who nearly dodged it in time before being incinerated. On the other hand, the Flamethrower continued to soar in the air, landing with a fiery grace on Genevra. It was evident she couldn't dodge the attack; her body had been too busy in pain to allow Genevra to protect herself, or even run away for that matter.

Genevra almost let out a scream of pain from the fire, but she forced her mouth to clamp shut in time before the flames died away. Small, thin trails of smoke lifted into the air, and patches of burns were seen around the Gardevoir's body. She gritted her teeth, enduring the pain as she struggled once again to stand up.

_You've been through worse, Genevra!_ A voice inside her yelled as if it were a military coach. _This is _nothing_! Get up and fight!_

Seeing his partner in pain, Redley's determination to defeat the Salamence swelled inside his chest by tenfold. It seemed that he couldn't bear to see Genevra in pain — he liked her, after all — and so his own pain disintegrated into nowhere. Like his determination, the power of his attacks increased, and now he was able to land attacks onto the Salamence stronger than before.

For a time, Salamence and Redley exchanged attacks, both hitting and missing one another. When Genevra was able to stand up once again, she ignored the pain in her body and began another attempt at aiming a Psychic at Salamence. Salamence dodged the move with ease, swiftly flying in the air, leaving Redley to chase after the dragon. Evidently, the accuracy of her Psychic decreased, and she couldn't focus on the direction of her move any longer. She stopped up to the point where her Psychic hit Redley instead of Salamence.

"Sorry!" she cried out with all that she could to the Gallade, supporting herself against a stone. All of the pain in her body — the cruel burns, the stiffness of her body, and her back horn —seemed to be taking heavy tolls on her. Unforgiving though they were, she would not let herself faint. Her brain stayed alive, her eyes open, refusing to fall down to the floor.

Meanwhile, Redley continued fighting Salamence. By now, it was apparent to the both of them that sooner or later, one of them would have to fall down. Redley began growing tired of leaping up and down into the air; his speed would eventually decrease if he kept this up. The same went for Salamence. He found it harder for him to attack and fly with every second that passed.

_Get up and battle! _the military coach screamed inside of her mind.

The familiar mountain breeze flowed through the ruffles of Genevra's skirts. Instinctively, Genevra straightened her back, and suddenly, she smiled to herself. Letting out a cool, collected breath, she raised her arms in a mystical fashion. The wind grew stronger and stronger, each second giving her more courage.

_I learned Fairy Wind!_ Genevra smiled as she controlled the winds, the attack swirling its ways to the flying Salamence.

Sensing something bad was about to happen, the Salamence immediately picked up his speed. He recognized the familiar move, Fairy Wind, and began flying away in a hurry. If there was one thing he didn't like about the sky, it was the winds. A Pokémon could learn to control the winds to their advantage, especially if the Pokémon was a Fairy-Type who knew Fairy Wind.

"Genevra!" Redley shouted her name in happiness, grateful for the surprise. "You know Fairy Wind!"

Her smile turned into a grin, and with a joyful grace, the Fairy Wind grew stronger and faster. It out-sped the Salamence, and at Genevra's command, Salamence tumbled to the ground far below the Mt. Bristle peak. He let out small groans of pain, unable to stand up from the damage done. With a final thump to the ground, it was clear that he had fainted.

"We… We did it…" Redley looked at Genevra in astonishment. "We… We defeated the legendary Salamence."

Genevra breathed in the mountain air, trying hard to ignore the pain from her body again. "…That… was not easy."

"He was really strong, though," Redley commented, and then started feeling the pain emanating from his body. "Ow. My back horn hurts. That was some Dragon Rush."

"You're okay!" the little Azurill wailed as he bounced up to Redley and Genevra. "I-I (hiccup) thought you were (hiccup) going to die!"

Redley and Genevra exchanged a look filled with half-worry and half-joy. Together, they kneeled down to the little Azurill and soothed him.

"We didn't die," Redley said with his warm and happy smile. "How's that?"

"We survived." Genevra nodded with a quiet smile.

"Zzzt! There they are! Zzzt!" a Magnemite declared. "We found Team Seekers and Azurill! Zzzt! I repeat, we found Team Seekers and Azurill! Zzzt!"

Behind the Magnemite, four Magneton were behind, followed by Deputy Magnezone himself. To their surprise, Guildmaster Wigglytuff arrived at the scene as well, holding hands with the little Marill.

"You… You're here?" Redley looked at the group in surprise.

"Yup!" Wigglytuff cheered.

Redley and Genevra shared a sheepish grin with one another, before simultaneously looking at Drowzee and his cronies, now beginning to stir in waking. When they saw that the Magnezone Police Department had arrived, they flinched, and accepted their defeat.

"Big Brother!" Azurill cried as he went to bounce towards Marill.

"Azurill!" Marill opened his stubby arms wide and open, ready to accept his little brother in his arms. "I'm so sorry I left you alone! I'm sorry for doing this to you!"

As the two brothers shared their warm moment, the Pokémon around them started smiling. It was evident that anybody with emotion would be clearly touched by this reunion.

After, Wigglytuff bounced over to Redley and Genevra. "Now, you'll just have to finish the next two tasks! It's almost near the end of the day, so it'll be a long while back to Treasure Town."

Redley pulled out the Wonder Map from his satchel. "We need to go to Waterfall Cave next, right?"

"Mhm!" Wigglytuff nodded jubilantly. "It's about three hour walk from here."

Genevra looked over the map with Redley. The Waterfall Cave was south of where Mt. Bristle was, and she quickly calculated an easier route to get to the destination.

"Rather than go back to Treasure Town for the night, why don't we stay out here instead and go in the morning?" Genevra suggested. "It'll be easier to head there tomorrow."

Redley glanced at Genevra. "You sure?"

"It'll be another six-hour walk to head back to Treasure Town."

"But… spending a night in the wild?"

"Is… Is that not okay?"

Redley frowned, unsure of how to respond to her question. He tapped his chin in contemplation. "You'd spend a night out here then?" Wigglytuff asked curiously. "I've never seen an exploration team do such thing. Only advanced exploration teams would do that."

Redley and Genevra looked at Wigglytuff, returning his curiosity. "Only… advanced exploration teams?"

"Yup." Wigglytuff released an ambiguous smile. "You do know it's dangerous at night out here, do you?"

Genevra and Redley exchanged a look of worry.

"What… what do you think we should do then?"

"I don't know about you," Genevra began. "But I personally think it's better to stay out here. If we go back to Treasure Town now, it'll be late when we go back."

Wigglytuff carefully observed the two Pokémon. Redley gave Genevra a look of fear and trust mingled together, the feelings clashing within the Gallade. Genevra, in turn, nodded her head with a positive gesture, showing no hesitation. It was apparent to him that the bond between the two Pokémon were beginning to blossom quite well, despite the conflict. To Wigglytuff, it only seemed to confirm his suspicions about the two.

_They really must be the ones…_

"Okay, then," Redley answered Genevra. "We'll stay outside for the night then. It'll be good experience for being an exploration team anyways. And we have all of the food we need."

Genevra nodded in return. "Okay."

"So you'll be staying out here for the night then?"

Redley and Genevra looked at each other again, and this time, they nodded their heads simultaneously.

"Zzzt. Well, if you're staying the night out here, your reward will be waiting back at Treasure Town. Zzzt." Deputy Magnezone floated over to the group of Pokémon. "Zzzt! Thank you, Team Seekers, for helping us capture these wanted outlaws! Zzzt! They've been known to be causing lots of trouble around these mountains."

"The reward…?" Genevra tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Zzzt! Yes, your reward!"

Redley looked at his partner, sensing her hesitation. "Are you okay?"

Genevra looked back at Redley, and shook herself. "Yeah. I'm okay."

"Redley…" Marill bounced up towards the Gallade and Gardevoir, "and Genevra… I just want to say thank you for saving my little brother…"

Azurill nodded tiredly, his eyes now puffy and red from the excessive amount of crying he had done.

"It's not a problem," Redley answered with care, smiling sympathetically.

"No, we're just really grateful," Marill went on. "We owe you one."

The Gallade and the Gardevoir shot each other a look, feelings of amusement and pity exchanged.

"No, you don't owe us one," Genevra spoke calmly. "This wasn't part of the mission in the first place. We didn't know that Drowzee had kidnapped you. We were only asked to bring back Drowzee and his gang."

"S-Still…" Marill clenched his eyelids together, nervous in how his next words would come out of his mouth. "I… I was s-stupid for believing Drowzee, and it's all my fault you had to go through this trouble a-anyways. W-When you come back to Treasure Town, I'll make sure you two get something from me."

"You really don't need to," Redley explained.

Marill bit his lower lip and said, "No. I'll find something."

"Well then, if you really want to do something nice for us, why don't you go home now back to your mom? She must be terrified about you two right now," Genevra offered helpfully in a compassionate voice. "You've been away from home far too long. The best thing you can do for us is go home safe and sound taking care of your mother."

Redley glanced at Genevra in slight shock. He had never heard the Gardevoir speak in such a kind tone. Without a doubt, every other time Genevra spoke she was always brisk and firm, never kind or sympathetic. Yet here, it seemed to occur to Redley that children were a soft spot for the Gardevoir. He made a note of this in his mind, sure that this was essential to figuring out her lost memory.

"That sounds like a good idea!" Wigglytuff agreed with the Gardevoir jovially. "What matters now is that you two are both safe and that the Magnezone Police Department have arrested those goons over there. We're all okay!"

With that, everyone shared a genial laugh. The Pokémon all shared their goodbyes with one another, wishing each other a safe night and good luck to the Seekers in completing their assessment.

When everyone had gone, Redley looked at Genevra with serious eyes.

"Do you really think we deserve the award for the mission? We didn't actually knock out Drowzee or his cronies…" Redley observed. "I mean, besides you punching Drowzee in the face and KO'ing him with an Energy Ball."

"I was thinking the same," Genevra admitted. "It was really Salamence who did all of the work. Oh, speaking of Salamence…"

The two Pokémon looked over a ledge of the Mt. Bristle clearing, catching a glimpse of Salamence slowly beginning to rise up. His wings began to stretch, and his eyes met theirs.

"…We can't be fighting him again," Redley moaned, afraid that they would have to.

"We'll run if we need to," Genevra said quickly, and then flinched in pain as another chilly wind blew across her burns.

Redley noticed this, and his concern only grew for the Gardevoir. The two agreed to make their way back down Mt. Bristle, worried that Salamence would challenge them to a battle once again. The Gallade helped the Gardevoir stand up, her head slightly leaning onto his shoulder as she tried to support herself.

"_Wait_," Salamence called as he landed calmly onto the clearing of Mt. Bristle.

Redley and Genevra turned their heads around back to face the Salamence.

"Did you say you were an exploration team?"

Surprised at this question, Redley and Genevra looked at one another.

"We are an exploration team," Redley answered cautiously.

Salamence smiled to himself, looking at the two Pokémon. The female was slightly supporting herself on the male, and it was similar to seeing mates care deeply for one another. It reminded Salamence of the first few days he and Hydreigon traveled together, on their own first mission. Hydreigon was badly injured, and Salamence was willing to do whatever it took to keep her safe from any more damage. He remembered how he carried Hydreigon on his back, the determination to keep her safe and well. His determination to protect Hydreigon was no different from the Gallade's to the Gardevoir.

_Why do I see so much of us in them, Hydreigon?_

"Don't worry, I won't ask for another battle," Salamence said in a calmly benign voice. "But I must admit, that battle we had was one of the best battles I'd had in a long time. What a surprise it was when you two defeated me. And it looks like you completed your mission too. Those goons causing trouble to my mountain are gone, and it seems that Azurill is going home with his brother."

Together, Redley and Genevra nodded warily, unsure of what would happen next.

"That said, I'd like to give you something," Salamence motioned towards the dark cave in which he lived in. His eyes made direct contact with Genevra's. "You're suffering from your burns, correct?"

"…Yes."

"I happen to have some Rawst Berries you can use to heal your burns," Salamence said. "Use as much as you need to."

* * *

Later, Genevra and Redley were sitting in the snug cave Salamence slept in. A fire crackled in the center, the smoke twirling out into the starry night above. The three Pokémon exchanged information about one another, Redley and Genevra explaining their assessment given to them by Wigglytuff while Salamence offered some of his own stories about his escapades with Hydreigon.

Genevra's burn wounds felt better in no time; the Rawst Berry mush was applied all over her burns. She thanked Salamence for the berries, grateful that at least one of her pains wouldn't be such a bother to her any longer.

"Not a problem at all," Salamence replied. "You know, that was quite a Fairy Wind you conjured up back there. How much training have you done?"

Genevra looked at Salamence with surprise. "Training? I've just learned Fairy Wind today."

Salamence looked at the Gardevoir quizzically. "You've just learned it today?"

Genevra nodded.

"How strange. You seem unusually strong too. Your attacks seem stronger than what they would normally be. You even knocked out Drowzee in one hit. That," Salamence paused, creating a dramatic effect, "is not normal. Based on your power alone, you could pass off as an Ultra Rank explorer."

"…Ultra Rank?" Genevra repeated in confusion.

"There are nine ranks in all for explorers and exploration teams," Redley began explaining. "Normal, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Super, Ultra, Hyper, and Master. Team Charm and Team Raider are both Master Ranks. So are Salamence and Hydreigon."

"_Were_," Salamence corrected, pointing to the obvious fact that Hydreigon wasn't with him any longer.

"O-Oh." Redley stammered, realizing his own mistake. "Sorry."

Salamence looked at Redley this time, ignoring his mistake. "The same can be said for you too. Your skills are impressive for a Gallade like you especially."

Genevra tapped her chin. "I'm not sure what the point of that would be though."

"Well, it shows your capability of your skills and level," Salamence answered. "Do you two have any dreams you want to accomplish as an exploration team?"

Genevra and Redley looked at each other, suddenly remembering the Relic Fragment that lay in its pouch.

"There are a couple of things we're trying to figure out," Redley started. "For one, we're trying to regain Genevra's memory here."

"Memory?"

"I lost my memory on the beach a couple of days ago," Genevra told Salamence. "I was washed up on the beach when Redley found me, and I couldn't remember anything about myself but my name and my age."

"Hm." Salamence looked thoughtful, almost secretive, and then turned to Redley. "What's the next thing you're trying to accomplish?"

"It's this Relic Fragment of mine," Redley said as he pulled out the pouch of his satchel, the rock slipping out of the pouch. "It's got this strange pattern on it, and we're trying to figure out its meaning."

Salamence observed the pattern with interest. "This is unusual. I've never seen anything like it in all of my life."

"Really?"

"Yes." Salamence looked at Redley with searching eyes. "Where did you find this?"

"It rolled up to me. Literally." Redley answered. "I was walking around Treasure Town when this came up to me. I mean, it was rolling around, and it was windy that day, so I'm sure it was the wind's doing. I found it a couple of weeks ago, before I met Genevra."

Salamence breathed, trying to solve the mystery of the strange pattern on the rock. To his dismay, he was unable to get anywhere. "I'm sorry. I don't know anything about this."

"No, it's alright," Redley reassured the dragon. "I tried looking it up myself, but I couldn't find anything."

"As for Genevra and her memory," Salamence turned his body back to her. "How do you suppose you'll regain it?"

Genevra frowned, her eyes shifting from one stone to the next as she tried to think. "I don't know. All I can do is keep living, and if anything comes back to me, I just hope I can figure it out."

Salamence nodded in comprehension, and looked to the sky. "I'm sorry I can't help you any more than I'd like to."

"No, no," Redley stammered with an embarrassed smile. "This is good enough. I'm glad we're able to stay here for the night before we head over to Waterfall Cave tomorrow."

"Hm." Salamence looked back at the two Pokémon. "Then how about I fly you two there tomorrow?"

Redley and Genevra jerked their heads to the dragon in shock.

"But…" Redley looked at Genevra. "We're supposed to go there on our own."

"So there are rules saying that I can't send you two over there?"

There was a small pause as the Gallade and the Gardevoir sweatdropped.

"Wigglytuff never said anything like that," Genevra noted hesitantly.

"From what I hear, it's about three hours away from Mt. Bristle by walking," Salamence added, and then smiled confidently. "I could just fly around the sky with you two on my back for three hours. Is that fair enough?"

"…What?" the two said in unison.

"It's a great view from the sky," Salamence added. Happiness prickled around his body as he remembered the thrill of flying with his own partner. He remembered the times they spent in the sky, simply flying around the world and enjoying the view from the clouds. "You'll love it. You're not afraid of heights, I hope?"

Redley and Genevra looked at each with baffled expressions, another pause taking place.

"You really don't want to fly?"

"Well," Redley started, "it just seems so sudden."

Genevra nodded in agreement, but then stopped herself. Her expression turned into a thoughtful one. "But maybe... it wouldn't be a bad idea. I'm actually curious to see how this world looks from the skies."

"So you do want to fly then?"

Redley and Genevra looked at each other once again.

"I'm comfortable with whatever you'd like," Redley told Genevra with a kind voice.

Genevra gave the Gallade a soft smile before answering to the Salamence. "We'll fly there tomorrow then."

"Good." Salamence smiled, pleased with their response. "I'll be heading off to sleep now in that corner over there." The dragon began making his way to his own spot. "You two are comfortable here?"

Both Pokémon agreed, and Salamence went back to his own corner, ready to drift back asleep.

"Genevra," Redley asked the Gardevoir as soon as he was sure Salamence was dozing away.

"Hm?"

"Earlier in Mt. Bristle, you said, 'It came true'," Redley started with some reluctance in his voice. "What was that about?"

Genevra looked at the Gallade in bewilderment before remembering what Redley meant.

"Oh. That. On the day we met Marill, Azurill and Drowzee, I felt a heavy dizziness take over my mind. It happened specifically when I bumped into Drowzee. I heard him saying that if he didn't do what Azurill wanted him to do, there would be trouble. And then I heard the little Azurill scream. When I opened my eyes, it seemed that what I heard was just an illusion. Even though Drowzee seemed really polite, there was something… fake about his politeness."

Redley's heart nearly stopped hearing this explanation, connecting the pieces from today's earlier incident to yesterday's. "Genevra, can you…"

"…What?"

"Can you read the future?"

Genevra paused, not quite sure if she knew the answer herself.

"I know that not every Gardevoir can read the future," Redley went on, "but what if you're one of them who can?"

Genevra looked away, sighing in exasperation. "Well, even if I did, what difference would it make? I can't ask for visions to come when I want them to."

"Still," Redley persevered, "even if they don't come when you want them to, you could have told me what had happened yesterday when it happened. I mean, you heard what happened yesterday, and it came true today when we were in Mt. Bristle earlier."

"Would you have believed me?" Genevra looked at him sardonically.

Redley flinched from her harsh remark, and gave her his honest answer. "…No."

Defeated by his answer, Redley looked away in embarrassment; he was sure that everything he was doing made him look stupider by the second. The Gallade decided to ask one last question before finally calling it a night, bringing up as much courage as he could muster.

"Before we go to sleep," Redley spoke in a slightly quivering voice, "earlier today, I was wondering… Why are you so thin?"

Genevra stared at the Gallade, not sure of the answer herself.

"…I don't know." Genevra sighed, and then looked at her own thinner-than-usual arms. "I don't ask for too much. I don't want to ask for too much. Besides, the food you give to me to eat is enough. I don't need to eat any more than the food you give me."

The Gallade looked at her with concern in his red eyes, so much concern that it scared Genevra. For the first time she could even remember, she felt a certain kind of fear, and it wasn't the fear of dying, but rather the kind of fear that rendered her speechless, in such a way that she had never experienced life as she knew it.

"Wh-What?" she stammered this time, unusual for Genevra to hesitate while speaking.

"I'm concerned, Genevra. You're my partner. We're supposed to look out for one another. I…" Redley looked away, his eyes closed in embarrassment. "I just want you to be safe. I don't want to see you starving or suffering or anything. Just…"

Hearing this, Genevra blushed ever so slightly, the small fire between them crackling softly into the air.

"Redley. I've only known you for about a couple of days. You're this concerned for me?"

Redley sighed, and admitted with defeat, "Yes."

Genevra instantly looked away from the Gallade. In truth, she was moved by the concern Redley showed for her; at the same time, she wanted to shove those feelings away. She admired the worry Redley carried for her, but felt repulsed by it all the same. It was clear to her that she had never felt so conflicted like this before.

"I'm going to sleep now," Genevra said bluntly, and lied down on one arm. Her face was facing away from Redley's. She did not want to face him as she was sleeping.

"A-Ah, I'll do that too." Redley picked up his pace and did the same. Embarrassed by everything he had done, he turned away from the beautiful Gardevoir and made his head face the opposite direction of Genevra. "Goodnight," the Gallade added more softly.

Genevra let a moment of silence hang in the air before saying, "G'night."

That night, the night stars in the sky saw a heavily sleeping Salamence curled in one corner while two fated partners, destined to save the world, slept in another corner a little distance away. They seemed to be shimmering with delight, their light the color of a vivid, celestial, light blue, its quiet rays touching upon the three.

* * *

Far away from Mt. Bristle, in the Wigglytuff Guild mess hall, all of the apprentices were sitting quietly. Some were fidgeting around, desperate to take their first bite into the food after a long day of hard work. Others were nervous, wondering when Guildmaster Wigglytuff would be coming back to the guild. Chatot had repeatedly knocked on the Guildmaster's door, but no one would answer with a "Come in!" He grew worried enough to barge into the office, and it was to his surprise that the Guildmaster wasn't in the office. Since when had the Guildmaster left the office without telling Chatot himself?!

"Hey hey hey, Chatot." Corphish looked at the anxious bird. "Can… Can we eat now?"

"Oh shush!" Chatot scolded the lobster. "We aren't suppose to start eating until the Guildmaster shows up himself!"

"But I'm STARVING!" Loudred complained. "It's been a LONG day, and we're ALL HUNGRY!"

"Oh my gosh, yeah," Sunflora added. "I'm starving! And it's almost, like, time for bed!"

"Helllooooo everyone!" Wiggytuff greeted cheerfully, nearly shocking the living daylights out of everyone in the mess hall.

"G-Guildmaster!" Chatot exclaimed. "Where, where were you earlier?"

"Just doing some business!" Wigglytuff twirled around once in joy. "Anyways, I'm _starving_! All of us must be starving! Let's go eat right away! Everyone, eat!"

"FINALLY!" the entire guild chorused together and began munching down on the food before their eyes.

Wigglytuff strolled quite contently near the food supply of the mess hall, picking up a delicious Perfect Apple. Chatot could only watch his guildmaster in shock, his beak half-open, wanting to protest something. The stunned bird couldn't find his words.

"Something wrong, Chatot?" Wigglytuff asked his bird quite easily.

Chatot flapped his wings and squawked, "G-Guildmaster! I was worried about you! When did you come back?"

"Just now," Wigglytuff sang happily, "I was making sure Marill and Azurill got back to their home safely. You know, they were saved by Team Seekers. It's thanks to them that they're safe and sound."

"G-Guildmaster! Wh-What do you mean?"

"I mean what I mean." Wigglytuff shrugged with a smile. "Come on, Chatot. You must be hungry. Let's eat!"

Chatot was obviously displeased with this response, but he knew there would be no point in badgering his guildmaster any further. Sighing, he flew back to his plate and began munching on some mashed berries.

As Wigglytuff munched on his Perfect Apple, his thoughts drifted towards the events that happened earlier that day. Surely, he thought, with all of this unordinary events that's been happening, it's a sure sign that something big is to come.

Inside his mind, Wigglytuff sighed. He had yet to figure out the total meaning of the prophecy he recently read. There would be some things he would have to ask Redley and Genevra when they came back. Taking another bite of his Perfect Apple, he recited the first twelve lines of the prophecy in his thoughts:

_Where the waves touch the shore / Two Pokémon of dual type shall meet / On the fated time where night and day are equal / The sky the rainbow of the Universe / Of the Cosmos, and the Spacetime Continuum / It is they who are chosen, for they / They who embark are Seekers / For this is what they are known for / For this is their quest to save All and One / From the Chaos that begins to reign / Their quest filled with Truth and Enlightenment / Not of Knowledge and Falsities..._

Wigglytuff finished his Perfect Apple with a loud crunch of the final piece of fruit. He would have to analyze the lines later. Of course, most of them were supremely vague; it was difficult to find out what the specifics were. He would need to find out how Genevra and Redley met, for example. The two Pokémon were both dual types, Genevra being half-Psychic and half-Fairy, Redley being half-Psychic and half-Fighting. Their team name was the Seekers, and this was what they called their team name. As for where they met...

The guildmaster flicked an ear. Thinking about this too much would make his head hurt, but no matter. He was sure there was still plenty of time. Maybe the impending disaster approaching would come later than expected.

* * *

You know, I'm not actually sure how much Fairy Wind actually does in the real games, especially since they won't come out until October 12. But for the sake of this fic, I'm going to pretend that Fairy Wind has at least a power of 80! Just like Energy Ball!

On a separate note, school has begun in the USA, I'm in my senior year, and things are getting busy! I will do my best to keep up with this fic, because I _really_ like it, but don't expect it to update as quickly. Until then, DFTBA! (Did anyone get the reference last time?)


	7. The True Story of Redley

Chapter 7 - The True Story of Redley  


The next morning began with the sun's soft rays filtering through the holes of Salamence's cave, its delicate light warming up the cold, stony floor. Flecks of the sunlight gently touched Genevra and Redley sleeping on their makeshift, hay nests, giving an empathetic air to both Pokémon. Though they were sleeping away from each other, one could gather that their elegantly asymmetrical beauty was stunning enough to wonder: _What if they were sleeping across each other, face to face? Surely, they would look harmoniously in tune…_

Genevra stirred first, feeling the sunlight warm the folds of her dress. She let out a small morning groan as a yawn escaped her lips. In reaction, Redley slowly opened his eyes, his bladed arms moving to stretch out in awakening. The Gallade turned around to face Genevra, looking to see how she was doing.

The Gardevoir's back was turned to him, her arms stretched out as she sat up. Such the position made Redley densely red, wondering if he was doing something as heinous as voyeurism. Genevra herself was spread out in an attractive position, sitting up as her thin legs quietly nudged out of her elegant gown. Anyone could see her beauty was unintentionally inviting, and realizing this, Redley bit his lip and madly sweatdropped.

_I feel like I just committed an act of voyeurism!_ Redley swiftly turned his head away, his cheeks red as sweatdrops rained down against his head. _Mother of Mew, help me! G-Genevra's my exploration partner! Not my girlfriend! We're supposed to be _just friends_! Dear Arceus!_

Genevra, unaware of the Gallade's dilemma, turned around to see if Redley was still sleeping. To her unexpected astonishment, she found his back turned to her, his body slightly shaking. For a second, she was unsure of this meaning until she sensed his true feelings.

_He… He was thinking about me…_ Genevra frowned, her own face turning red. If they made small, mundane talk, surely their embarrassing situation would be resolved.

The Gardevoir cleared her throat, and forced herself to straighten up. "Good morning, Redley."

The Gallade paused, slowly and steadily turning around to meet the Gardevoir. "M-Morning, Genevra."

"It looks like you two are finally up!" Salamence's voice boomed from above as he flew into the cave, a bag of fruit hanging around his neck. "I was out searching for apples. I got some extra to share with you two. They're straight from the apple trees near Serenity River."

The Gallade and the Gardevoir watched the Salamence fly back into his cave. Both were oblivious to the fact that Salamence had risen up earlier than they.

"Good morning," both Pokémon greeted in jagged unison.

Salamence nodded in acknowledgement, slipping his neck out of his old exploration bag with his rusty Master Badge clipped on. "You two look like you've got a good night's sleep."

Genevra and Redley replied that they had, and Salamence urged them to take a share of his apples that he had gathered in the morning. At first, they were reluctant, for he seemed to have already provided them enough comfort — having shelter from the wilderness last night was already enough to make them feel indebted to the Salamence, though Salamence himself didn't accept this. Finally, after a time, Team Seekers grabbed a humble amount of apples for themselves, munching on them while they had water from a clean, nearby pool that dwelled deeper in Salamence's cave.

"I also assume that you're ready to go flying today?" Salamence asked after chewing on his last apple.

To this question, Redley and Genevra answered that they were, though there was some hesitancy in their tones. Salamence sensed they were both nervous, and said, "Don't worry about heights. Just hold on and enjoy the view from above. If you do fall, I'll fly quickly enough to catch the both of you."

Redley and Genevra looked at one another, hoping for a glimpse of optimism and trust within their eyes. Salamence observed their gazes, and he was sure this was some sign of deep bondage between both Pokémon.

"Okay, then," Redley declared in a confident voice. "Let's go."

The Seekers quickly packed up their belongings, which were not much; it did take some time before they could sit down on Salamence's back in preparation before the flight.

"Wait," Genevra said, directing to Redley right before she settled herself on Salamence's back.

"What?" Redley looked curiously at the Gardevoir.

Genevra started turning red, biting a side of her lip into an embarrassed frown. "Can… Can I hold your hand while we're flying in the sky?"

The surprise came to Redley as a surreal moment. Genevra, the usually cold, unsmiling Pokémon that he half-secretly admired, was now asking for _his hand _to hold? He almost thought of reacting by praising the skies in a gaudy fashion, crying aloud as if he were a dramatic Romeo from Shakespeare's play, "Oh my Arceus she's asking me to hold her hand! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!"

Instead of reacting as he would have done, he smiled so hard that it seemed to hurt his facial muscles. "Of course."

Genevra huffed once, sitting down on the Salamence in a comfortable position before giving up her hand to the Gallade. She almost felt as if she lost a battle, and she pushed aside the voice in her head that ran around taunting in a childish voice, _You're holding hands with Redley! You're holding hands with Redley! You're holding hands with Redley!_

Salamence smirked to himself. He was almost jealous of them, especially since they had each other. The two would make a good couple, he thought. The Salamence could easily see the Gardevoir and the Gallade having baby Ralts together. The thought only made Salamence sigh a little wistfully. He never had children with Hydreigon anyway, and he felt rather depressed about it more than he would've liked to.

As Genevra and Redley awkwardly met their hands hands on top of Salamence, he smiled to himself. "Are we ready to fly?"

The Gardevoir and the Gallade replied yes together, though not in unison. Salamence, in response, spread his wings, and the three of them began heading into the clouds above.

* * *

"Team Raider's done it again!" a Treasure Town civilian cried out in awe and admiration. "There they are!"

Standing at the center of Treasure Town Square, the members of Team Raider, respectively Gallade, Roserade, and Rhyperior, stood smiling modestly. They had achieved another inspiring quest that only a Master Rank team like them could accomplish.

Recently, they had accepted a challenge from Team AWD in which they would race to clear a notoriously difficult dungeon that no exploration team had ever been able to conquer: Zero Isle Center. Everyone knew its dangers, for there were extremely high-leveled Pokémon living in its area. To go there, exploration teams had to have a certain level of experience, or else they should find themselves in a terror that called for a rescue team. To show that it was really dangerous, even rescue teams had trouble themselves navigating through these gargantuan dungeons.

Naturally, Team Raider and Team AWD set off on the same day, and they found themselves in a tense race to conquer the dungeon. Unfortunately, Team AWD was left behind in some floor that Team Raider had no knowledge of while they claimed victory in clearing the dungeon. Their new treasure at the end was a Wonder Chest, and it was proof that for the first time in Pokémon Exploration Team history, Zero Isle Center was cleared. Certainly, those Treasure Town citizens could be proud of such a victory. It only made Team Raider look even more impressive when the item they unlocked was the fabled Golden Mask, in which they happily donated to the local Treasure Town Museum.

As the citizens fanned over Team Raider in great approval, Gallade heard Roserade whisper into his ear, "I'd say, let's go out to the Hot Springs. All of the work has tired me, and I'm desperate to go to some sort of sauna."

Rhyperior heard the whisper. "You two can go ahead. You know how much I _hate_ water."

Gallade chuckled to himself, remembering his friend's passionate distaste for the liquid. "Of course, Roserade and I will go then."

"Alright then, everyone," Roserade said in his most courteous voice that prompted sighs from fangirls in the crowd. "We appreciate your support and love, but we'll be going now!"

"Already?" one fangirl complained, sounding as if she was on the verge of tears.

"But we've got so much more questions!" a journalist of the _Treasure Town Times_ added, furiously waving around his pen and notepad.

"Sorry," Gallade replied in his seducing, dark baritone, delivering a captivating smile that made both women and select men swoon in adoration. "But we'll be back later if you need to ask us questions."

Rhyperior smirked in response. "Everyone, thanks again! We'll be seeing you next time!"

With that said, the trio pulled away from Treasure Town Square, the Magnezone Police holding off the citizens of Treasure Town so that no one would attempt follow them. Team Raider headed to the outskirts of Treasure Town, making their way to their team base.

Reaching their base, Gallade and Roserade swiftly grabbed their towels, ready to head for the Hot Springs and Rhyperior settled into his own nest, ready for a nap.

As Gallade and Roserade walked along casually along the dirt path, another conversation initiated.

"Do you really think that Team AWD is alright?" Roserade wondered.

Gallade smirked haughtily. "They'll be fine. The rescue teams are capable enough to get them back to the base safely."

Roserade smiled in return. "You know, Weavile was really desperate to prove that you were wrong."

Gallade sighed. "She is Weavile, after all. You know what she's like."

"Still," Roserade looked at his friend with an all-knowing smile, "I think she _likes_ you. I wonder how Team Charm feels about that too, you know."

Gallade looked away from Roserade, his emotions unreadable. "Well."

"Well?"

"Well."

Roserade laughed. "Don't worry. I won't bother you about it. Your love life is your life. I can't interfere with it. Sorry if I made you feel weird."

"This conversation didn't happen."

Roserade merely smiled in acknowledgement, and the two went about to the Hot Springs.

* * *

"I told you it would be a nice view from up here, didn't I?" Salamence said in a happy tone, something that he himself couldn't believe. When was the last time he was this happy?

Genevra and Redley, unfortunately, couldn't share his view. They clung to each other for dear life, shaking in fear as if they were doomed lovers about to get murdered by the Hook Man.

"H-h-h-how is th-th-this n-nice?!" Redley cried out holding onto Genevra's shoulders. Salamence was flying at such a breakneck speed that he thought he and Genevra would fall down to the ground, possibly dying in the process.

"T-t-too faaaaast!" Genevra uncharacteristically yelled as she clutched Redley's neck.

Salamence sighed, sounding like a child whining as if he didn't get his cookie. "Fine. I'll fly slower."

"FINALLY!" the Gallade and the Gardevoir shrieked in unison.

As the speed slowed down, so did the air around them, and the breeze seemed more gentle, like a mother's caress towards her young baby. Redley and Genevra sighed in relief, before realizing they were still clinging onto each other. The lack of space between them made both of them blush madly, and they noticed how close their faces were to each other.

Immediately, Genevra pulled her face away from Redley, deciding to look down to the earth below. Redley did the same, and when both Pokémon were looking at the grounds below them, their nervousness towards each other disappeared as a feeling of amazement and fascination swept over their bodies.

"This… is so…" Redley couldn't keep his gaze off of the ground below. "It's… so… beautiful."

"I never thought…" Genevra added quietly. "I never thought that the view would be this… stunning."

Hearing this, Salamence smiled. "Good. You two like the view."

Below them, they could see occasional colorful patches — villages, as Salamence said — in lush, dark green forests as well as mountain peaks that touched the sky, reaching up to the clouds. Near every few distances, a dark blue, freshwater lake could be seen peeking out from under trees or between mountains. To see the ground below them from a bird's eye view truly dazzled them, and at that moment, Genevra and Redley felt, _This entire world is _**beautiful**. In what they witnessed seemed so celestial and heavenly to them, both Pokémon could have turned into poets themselves in attempting to describe the serene view from above.

From the sheer beauty in the sky, Genevra smiled to herself, her back against Redley's. Despite everything that had happened so far — her memory loss, her aching body, the Pokémon who constantly paired Genevra and Redley together in which she didn't like — she didn't seem to mind so much anymore. She squeezed Redley's hand even tighter than before, though not out of fear, but rather a content happiness in which she was glad the Gallade was there to be with her.

In response, Redley squeezed back in acknowledgement, her feelings transferring to his. Both Psychic-Types felt a peace drift between them as the views below them continued to enchant and delight.

As the three were adrift up in the air, Redley felt a calm harmony sink into his body. It was a bit different from Genevra's content happiness. For the Gallade, he hadn't felt so peaceful after his parents' death. His mind almost started drifting back to his negative thoughts, those years of agony and wandering, unsure of what to do, where to go, how to live, hating society and hating those who were happy, especially in such a society like cheerful Treasure Town. Such thoughts made him suicidal at times, and Redley now felt ashamed that he was once that kind of Pokémon. Genevra's soothing grip on his own hand comforted him, and he shoved those thoughts away in some dark place in his mind.

_Wait_, the two thought in sudden unison, _w__hen did our hands meet? We were clutching to each other, and then we let go, and then…_

"We're almost at Waterfall Cave," Salamence interrupted their thoughts. "I'm flying down now! You two had better hold onto each other again!"

Instantly, the Gallade and the Gardevoir clutched onto each other once more as the Salamence swooped down at an impressive velocity. The dragon landed quite softly against the rock cliff facing the roaring waterfall, allowing Redley and Genevra to get off rather comfortably.

"If you ever need anything else, don't hesitate to visit me." Salamence smiled as the Seekers settled their own selves back to the ground. "I'll bring you wherever you need to go if it's important. Besides, I'd like to go exploring with you two someday. It'll make me feel younger."

Genevra and Redley looked at each other, and then at the Salamence.

"We've already asked too much of you," Genevra said.

Salamence shook his head. "No, you haven't asked anything from me at all. Seeing you two made me happy again, let's just say that."

Redley protested, "You've done a lot though. We couldn't ask for more."

Salamence shook his head again, smiling a little sadly. "Really, if there's anything you need to do, don't hesitate to call me over." Before either Genevra or Redley could respond, he flapped his wings up into the air, saying his final words to the two-man exploration team. "Best wishes to you two on finishing your evaluation! I hope to see you again!"

With this, Genevra and Redley realized they had no choice but to wave goodbye to the Salamence as he flew away in powerful speed.

"So," Redley said, turning towards the roaring waterfall that crashed behind them, "we have _this_ now."

Genevra looked at the waterfall curiously. "It's Waterfall Cave, right? There should be an entrance to a cave."

Redley looked around the waterfall. "I don't see an entrance anywhere."

"Unless…" Genevra observed the waterfall carefully, peering through the water heavily pouring down onto Serenity River. After doing some careful thinking, the Gardevoir turned to her partner. "I think the entrance is behind the waterfall."

"There…" Redley looked around Serenity River. "There isn't any other way to get in there?"

This time, Genevra looked around Serenity River. "I don't think so. I don't want to jump into the river either."

Redley sighed, paying close attention to the waterfall. "The water's coming down pretty hard though. I mean, what if… behind this waterfall, there's a rock wall instead? That would hurt… really badly."

Genevra tapped her chin. "Do you have any other ideas?" she challenged.

The Gallade didn't. As a response, he said, "I… I guess we'll just have to try your idea. I'll just have to believe in you then." Redley smiled in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"…Believe in me?" The words sounded foreign to Genevra, as if she was listening to some alien language.

Redley nodded with a small smile. "Yeah. I'll have to trust you. I've come this far with you on our journey so far. I know it hasn't been a lot of time, but…" Redley laughed awkwardly. "I just feel I can trust you."

Genevra straightened herself, secretly glad of Redley's words. "Well, we'll just have to go through the waterfall together." The Gardevoir held out her hand to the Gallade, biting back the fact that their hands would be touching once again. "On three, we'll go straight through the water and land on the other side. Hopefully."

Redley looked at Genevra in shock, surprised that she would hold out her hand once again. Suddenly, he felt that giving a response would only make the situation even more awkward, and so he decided to keep his mouth shut. The Gallade took his partner's hand, in spite of the wild thoughts stampeding around his mind.

_Genevra believes in you too, Redley_, the Gallade thought to himself, _I can't let myself down again. And I can't let down my partner, either._

Genevra sighed, straightening her messenger bag against her shoulder. She had to make sure it wouldn't fall off of her shoulder while jumping. "One… Two… Three!"

Both Pokémon crashed through the pounding waterfall, the water soaking them entirely as they landed on the rocky, damp floor beneath them. Above, looming, dark blue stalactites dripped down water, each making a rhythmic beat as the drops hit the floor. The entire cave seemed to protect the two from the outside, rising sun, giving them a shelter that only they could hide in.

The two moaned slightly from the pain, but it seemed to disappear as they realized now that they had found the entrance.

"You… you were actually right, Genevra," Redley stood up, his hand now away from Genevra's. "There wasn't a rock wall after all!"

Genevra sighed, relieved that she was right. There had been some doubt lingering inside her mind. If there really was a wall behind the waterfall, she would've felt terrible for dragging Redley into it. She stood up, ignoring the pain starting to swell inside her body. Dear Dialga, why did she have so many sores? If only she had her memory back, she thought wistfully, then maybe she could understand.

Slowly, the two made their wary ways throughout the cave, occasionally drifting away from one another to check if there was a path to exit the cave. For most of the time, they came across dead ends, though they always managed to find each other again with a simple call of their name.

In another unusual act from Genevra, she decided to begin a conversation, beginning by calling out Redley's name.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"I feel like it's rude to ask," Genevra started as she stepped over a stalagmite, "but I have to wonder what really happened to Hydreigon. As in, how she passed away."

"You don't know?"

Genevra looked at Redley with a disbelieving eye. "Well, I'm not from here. I didn't know anything about exploration teams in general before you came along. I didn't know who Salamence and Hydreigon were until yesterday. The same goes for Team Raider and Team Charm."

"Oh." Redley was embarrassed. He felt selfish for not remembering Genevra's situation. She lost her memory, she didn't know where she came from, and she was merely wondering about the Pokémon around her, including Salamence. For him to say, _"You don't know?"_ seemed very mean of the Gallade. "From what I heard, the dragons were at some dangerous mountain on Blizzard Island. They were exploring through some cave there, or some mountain, and on that day there was a gigantic blizzard. Some Pokémon said it was the worst blizzard on Blizzard Island yet. I mean, the island itself has blizzards nearly every day due to weird weather conditions. But this one was really… really bad, and while Salamence made it out alive just barely… his wife didn't. So." Redley sighed, realizing how difficult this made him speak. "So you know the rest."

Genevra merely nodded, releasing a small sigh. "They were legendary explorers, weren't they?"

"Definitely. Even more so than Team Raider and Team Charm. Actually," Redley stepped over a stalagmite, "I heard that they were so legendary that they were simply known as the Dragons. Their name had a powerful ring to everyone who knew about them. Nowadays, I guess everyone just likes Team Raider and Team Charm more. Personally, I still think Salamence and Hydreigon were better."

"I do wonder, sometimes," Genevra added quietly, "why there are Pokémon who make references to Team Raider and Team Charm all of the time anyways. Especially when we're around."

"What do you mean?"

"On the first day you showed me around Treasure Town, everyone wanted to meet me, and when they did, they made some reference to Team Charm. On that day, I wanted to ask you who Team Charm was, but I never got to." Genevra breathed. "A lot of Pokémon made references to Team Raider too. Chatot especially liked to make comparisons about us to the Gallade and Gardevoir from those teams. I found it annoying."

"Oh, you mean…"

The two simultaneously remembered Chatot's comment on the day they first went into the guild: _"I __almost__ thought that you'd be the Gallade from Team Raider and the Gardevoir from Team Charm, but you're too scrawny for a Gallade, and the Gardevoir doesn't look so nice or friendly compared to the Gardevoir from Team Charm." _Remembering the comment now made Genevra twitch with irritation, while it made Redley feel bad about his own self.

Redley released a quick, subtle sigh, subtle enough so that he hoped Genevra couldn't hear it. In hopes of removing his negative thoughts, he turned right back to answering Genevra's question.

"Well, to give you a quick background on them, Team Raider has three members: Gallade, Roserade, and Rhyperior. They're all male, and they're mainly known for capturing the worst outlaws of all time, but they do come home with treasures from new dungeons sometimes. That's why they're really strong, and," Redley gulped quietly, uncomfortable in saying the next words, "it's why they're particularly popular with girls. It's actually kinda no wonder that Chatot called me scrawny, because compared to him, I… I actually am scrawny. I've seen him a couple of times, and, well, I can't say my power rivals his at all. He looks a lot stronger than I do anyways."

Genevra had no comment about the Gallade from Team Raider. If she cared about the strength or scrawniness of Redley, she didn't show it. "Continue."

"Um, yeah." Redley sighed. "Meanwhile, Team Charm has three members too, all female: Lopunny, Gardevoir, and Medicham. They don't really fight outlaws, because they're more known for bringing home treasure. Occasionally though, I hear how they've defeated some bad outlaw, and they get a lot of attention for it too, like Team Raider, especially from the men. And fangirls. Yeah. A lot of fangirls."

"Hm," Genevra said in acknowledgment. "Well, I'm hoping that won't happen to us, then."

"Wh-What?"

There was a slight pause of a silence before Genevra started talking. "I don't know about you," Genevra looked at Redley with soft, but unsmiling eyes, "but I'd rather do something that helps the world while _not_ getting attention for it. Personally, I don't like attention. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you like attention either. When you do deal with attention…" Genevra trailed off, not sure if she wanted to finish the sentence.

This time, Redley was the one urging Genevra to continue, though instead of saying _continue _he said gently, "Go on."

Genevra turned away slightly. "When you do deal with attention, you seem like you're in pain sometimes, as if you don't want to talk. As if you don't want to have to deal the Pokémon around you. That's the feeling I'm getting. You know the Pokémon around you in Treasure Town, and you force yourselves to smile for them a lot because Treasure Town is a naturally bright environment. Sometimes, your smiles are real and genuine. Other times, they look painful, but other Pokémon don't seem to see that. In the end, you feel like sometimes, you want to isolate yourselves so far away from them that they'll never come back to you."

Redley stopped walking, staring at the Gardevoir in a speechless gaze. "How… How did you know?"

Genevra bit her lip, wanting to fight the urge to look away. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I… I just pay attention to these little details about Pokémon. To be honest, I don't trust you completely yet. I've only known you for very few days, and because of that, I get really careful about the Pokémon around me. I think… I think I observe Pokémon a little too carefully around me to try to understand them. I was paying a lot of attention to you and your behavior, and that… that was what I ended up with."

"No, no, that's not it." Redley stepped closer to the Gardevoir, his voice more urgent than before. "I mean, you… you did scare me. But you're… you're the first one to say that to me. You're the first one who… who understands me."

Genevra looked at Redley in surprise, her eyes reading, _What?_

Redley sighed, rubbing his face with his hands before straightening himself. "I might as well tell you now, since I had a feeling I would need to tell you the story anyway. You are my partner, after all, and from what I know, partners in exploration teams always end up being close to each other. I know you don't completely trust me, but I trust you, and so I'll tell you my past… all of it. Genevra, I know you well enough that you wouldn't spread my past to anyone else, so..." another sigh, "here goes.

"When I was little Ralts, my parents moved to Treasure Town. For what reasons, I'm not really sure yet, and I still think about it from time to time. Anyways, I grew up around Treasure Town, and I played with the local kids in Treasure Town School. At the time, my dream was to become a famous explorer, just like Salamence and Hydreigon at the time. Everyone always talked about how amazing they were, and I made a vow to become just like them one day. I continuously trained, and I always told my parents how I wanted to become the strongest Gallade the world had ever seen.

"The one thing that constantly worried me, though, was my mother. For some reason, she was always ill. There would be doctors from all over the world coming in with various herbs to help cure her. Sometimes they worked, but other times, they didn't work. If a specific herb helped my mom regain her strength, my dad and I would give her the same herb until it didn't seem to work anymore. It looked as if the illness inside her had developed immunity to whatever we gave her, and this constantly made me and my dad worried. After all, I wanted to come home one day as a young and famous explorer saying, 'Mom, my partner and I just cleared this dungeon and we defeated this boss!' or something like, 'Mom, my partner and I just cleared this dungeon and we found this amazing treasure!'" Here, Redley laughed a bit to himself, embarrassed, and then went on.

"A-Anyways, as I grew older, I began to understand how serious the illness actually was. My dad actually began losing hope, and sometimes, he would go wander off to places I didn't know where, not returning until the next morning. I would be left at home alone with Mom, and it was then I began to realize how bad her illness really was. I think I started inheriting my dad's fears for my mom dying, because I would actually cry from wondering what my life would be like without my mom. My dad acted strange too. He never screamed or yelled at me, because he wasn't that kind of dad. Instead, he started getting more and more spaced out, as if he was dying with my mom. It only made it worse for me. Sometimes, I would try to talk to him, and he would talk like he was some madman that belonged in an asylum, saying things like, 'Today there will be snow' when it was in the middle of a hot and dry summer. One time, he seemed to stop taking care of my mom for a week, and I was left all alone with her. I didn't… I didn't know what happened to him, but when he came back, he wouldn't talk to anyone. He never ate properly anymore, either. He started losing weight, and a lot of it.

"Sometimes, I felt even worse because my mom knew about my dad wandering off alone to places he wouldn't talk about. I think she started getting depressed, too, especially since she felt it was all her fault that she was causing so much pain to us. But…" a tight sigh emanated from the Gallade, "it couldn't be helped. No matter how many times I tried to put on a smile, no matter how many times I tried to make her happy, nothing ever helped."

"Eventually, the night came where I completely panicked, because my dad was gone, and my mom stopped breathing. I took her to the hospital, and then after some time, she managed to wake up. When I looked at my mom in the eyes, I knew that she was telling me she was going to go. And so, two days later, she left.

"My dad wasn't there in the hospital when it happened. When my dad finally came back, I told him the news, and I thought he would explode or just do something violent. But instead, he smiled really softly, saying that I was on my own. By then, I had given up all hope of becoming a famous explorer like Salamence. I… I went through a depression. And shortly after, my dad died. From what reasons exactly, the doctors weren't clear, but I was convinced that after some thinking, he died of a broken heart. It seemed that he couldn't live without my mom, and so he died to rejoin her wherever she went.

"From then on, I grew angry and jealous at the entire world, and all of Treasure Town around me. I tried not to show it, but sometimes, I thought of suicide. On Sharpedo Bluff, I thought of jumping off the cliff and drowning into the water, but I never actually did that. The entire world seemed to be artificial then, and I hated everyone in Treasure Town because of their naturally bright and cheerful environment. All of them kept on smiling and smiling, and I was the only weird one because I could never figure what I wanted to do next. I had long given up my hope of becoming a famous explorer, and Team Charm and Team Raider came along to steal the title of the legendary exploration teams. In the end, I wandered around lost and unsure of myself, like some leaf flowing aimlessly in the wind. I forced myself a lot to smile and give a fake, happy mask but… Well, in any case, you get how depressed I felt.

"It wasn't until one day where I found this little Relic Fragment rolling around," Redley smiled just a little, glad he wouldn't have to talk about his pessimistic past, "and thought that maybe there was something significant to it. I think it was a sign of some kind of hope, because when I saw it, I knew I was intrigued, and somehow, it felt like something was telling me that all of the pain would be over. I started looking around the world with a different view, and I started appreciating everything around me. Occasionally, yeah, I feel like it's a pain to smile at times. But it seems to be disappearing, especially because… Especially because you're here with me, Genevra. I mean, after I met you at the Beach, a lot of things have been going happier for me. So…" Redley looked at the Gardevoir with an awkwardly constrained smile; it wasn't less genuine as his feelings toward her, however. "Thank you for being here with me."

Genevra was ultimately quiet, so quiet it seemed impossible to even hear her breathing. She did, however, manage to say these words: "I'm… sorry."

With a sudden movement, she wrapped her arms around the Gallade, hugging him tightly. Genevra hoped that Redley would receive this embrace not out of a romantic love, but rather a compassionate, universal love of understanding and empathy. The feelings from Genevra at the moment were more out of pity than an actual romance, but it didn't deny the secret that both the Gallade and the Gardevoir held an amorous love for one another.

The hug was warm and touching. Redley felt himself turn red, and despite his waning, nervous feelings, he hugged Genevra back. For that instant in time, the affectionate embrace seemed to last for a long eternity, as if time and space didn't exist and those two alone were all that mattered. When the time came, their embrace broke apart, and both Pokémon muttered incomprehensible dialogue, probably to apologize or note how awkward it suddenly seemed. Nevertheless, Genevra was glad she could hug the Gallade and comfort him, and Redley was glad he could tell the truth of his story to Gardevoir.

* * *

After some time, the two reached what seemed like the end of the cave, in which there were sparkling rainbows of gems sprinkling throughout the tunnel. At the very far end of it, both Pokémon could see sunlight streaming into the Waterfall Cave. For this, they knew they must've reached some end. It was an easy way out to the dungeon from then on.

"We need to find some proof that we cleared the dungeon though," Redley observed, looking around himself. "Maybe we should bring back a gem as proof?"

Genevra leaned down to grab a ruby-colored gem, but to no avail. "It seems really stuck to the ground, almost impossible to take out."

"Let me try." Redley leaned down with Genevra.

The Gallade attempted to pull out the same gem Genevra had tried; even after using both hands, it wouldn't budge.

"Here," Genevra said as she placed her hands over his unashamedly. "We'll pull it out together. On three."

To this, Redley agreed. On the moment Genevra commanded _three_, the small ruby gem managed to be held within Redley's hands, and the two were about to sigh in relief.

A sudden, slow rumble seemed to emanate from deeper within the Waterfall Cave, and the pounding waves of water began crashing their way upwards. However, the realization struck too late to Team Seekers when they found out that they were standing in the way of an erupting geyser.

As the waves crashed into both Pokémon, they were forced to be swept along the waves, being given a ride out of the Waterfall Cave. The water jetted upward with considerable, majestic force, sending the two Pokémon crashing all the way down into another place.

The very same place both Roserade and Gallade from Team Raider were resting at, none other than Hot Springs.

Everyone in the hot-watered pool of the Hot Springs was chatting amiably, only to be interrupted by a screaming Gallade and Gardevoir splashing ungracefully into the steamy water.

For a moment, Redley and Genevra searched each other first, hoping to see that their partner hadn't gotten lost through the sudden eruption of water. It was after they found each other that they saw how clumsy and awkward their situation was.

"Er…" Redley mumbled, keeping close to Genevra.

"Seriously! What was that for?!" one Pokémon complained.

"Thanks for crashing in onto us like that, _jerks_!" another snarled.

More complaints and comments of disapproval rained down on the two Pokémon, all except for Roserade and Gallade, intently watching the crazy moment unravel before their eyes. Resting quietly upon a high rock was the elderly Torkoal, the owner of the Hot Springs. Unlike the others, however, he merely smiled at the setting of new guests.

"Welcome to the Hot Springs, young ones!" he commanded in a gentle but powerful voice that demanded the attention of all Pokémon within the hot springs. Everyone shut their mouths and began looking at the wizened tortoise.

"Who are you two? I've never seen you around before," Torkoal inquired.

"Well, er," Redley stammered hesitantly. "I'm Redley."

"I'm Genevra," the Gardevoir replied with some uncertainty.

"Together, we're an exploration team," Redley continued, "Team Seekers."

At this, Roserade's and Gallade's ears perked up. _An exploration team?_ they thought. _This should be interesting._

In particular, Gallade was interested in Genevra. There seemed to be something unusual about her, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Besides that, Genevra had some attractive beauty to her, even more so than Gardevoir from Team Charm. Perhaps it wouldn't go hurt to talk to her.

_For now_, Gallade thought, _I'll just have to wait and see until they're done talking._

* * *

Cliffhangers can be cool. XD

The map is completed. :D You can go find it on my DeviantArt account, which is the same username: empyreansymphony DeviantArt. Just look around the gallery section under scraps and it'll be there. But don't say I didn't warn you when I say it's really cruddy. :P I tried dabbing with Paint to fix some things but… well, that went a lot worse than I hoped it would. Argh. It works.

And trying to flesh out characters to their maximum is a lot harder than I thought it would originally be. I already had enough problems trying to build a background on Genevra; now I have to do one on Redley and it's not easy! (Side note: I'm one of those writers who _never_ use those character fill-out sheets to explain my characters' traits and personality. Frankly speaking, I think they're useless.) Anyone want to comment or critique how well the development worked out?

Also, I've decided to really expand on Team Raider and Team Charm. Team Charm had enough spotlight in PMD Time, Darkness and Sky, but not Team Raider. Seriously though. They just _had_ to give more attention to Team Charm. :P Either way, I've decided both teams will be heavily prominent in this fic.

All authors' notes will now be at the end of the page, because it'll make it easier for me to write them and so that the fic looks a little neater that way, rather than having the author's notes sandwich the chapters. :D


	8. In Preparation of an Unaccustomed

Chapter 8 – In Preparation of an Unaccustomed Undertaking

Through the soothing, hot water of the springs, Genevra and Redley stood utterly motionless, flustered at their sudden arrival. After introducing themselves to Torkoal, an uncanny silence ensued, with everyone in the Hot Springs staring at Team Seekers mostly in dissatisfaction. Roserade and Gallade were the only ones who kept cool and collected, curious as to finding out what would take place next.

"An exploration team, you say?" Torkoal finally said, his voice filled with interest.

Genevra nodded. "Yes. Where…" The Gardevoir looked around her surroundings, noticing a certain Gallade staring at her with a steadfast gaze. She glanced away from his stare, finding herself in a much more uncomfortable position than before. "Where are we?"

"Why, you're at the Hot Springs, of course! But I'm amazed at how you two arrived here! The geyser sent you two flying all the way into these pools!" Torkoal exclaimed in wonder. "What were you two doing?"

"We were…" Redley hesitated, remembering the ruby gem he was holding in his hand. "We were in Waterfall Cave for an evaluation from the Wigglytuff Guild. Part of it meant having to do this mock-up exploration, and we got to the end of it…"

"Until the water erupted and threw us over here," Genevra finished for Redley. The Gallade looked at her gratefully in return.

"Ah, so I see…" Torkoal paced back and forth slowly on his tall and wide rock. "Well, it seems like you have finished it! Was it a success?"

Genevra and Redley looked at each other sheepishly, sharing a constrained, but honest smile.

The ruby gem glinted under the sunlight in the Gallade's hands. "It looks like we have," Redley answered.

"Well, good!" Torkoal smiled. "You two must be exhausted! Rest here for a while before you head back to Treasure Town!"

"Redley, the map," Genevra said quietly, though she realized at this point, the map might've been completely soaked from the water.

"Ah." Redley opened his messenger bag, moving to an empty, unoccupied side of the pool where he could place it on a dry rock. Genevra did the same, placing her bag next to Redley's, checking to see how soaked her own bag would be. As they opened their bags, both Pokémon realized that the food was washed with water, nearly every nook and cranny permeated with the liquid.

"But Torkoal!" one Pokémon started to complain. "They _crashed_ into the Hot Springs!" Hearing this, Genevra and Redley slightly cringed, their backs facing everyone else in the pool. Quickly, they lifted themselves out of the hot water, the water dripping after them in trails.

"Oh, nonsense! It isn't their fault that they ended crashing here! They definitely didn't splash here on purpose! It was the geyser, you see." Torkoal said this with a kind, but convincing force that if anyone else were to complain, they would find it useless to argue with him. The tortoise looked at Redley and Genevra in a peaceful acceptance, and the two nodded back in response.

There were several comments and grunts of malcontent mumbled throughout the discontent Pokémon, looming in gloomy and unhappy clouds of irritation. This didn't bother either Roserade or Gallade, however, and the two decided unanimously to meet Team Seekers.

When Redley managed to pull out the map, the shock came to both Seekers when they found out it was as magically intact as it ever was. The map was not soaked or ripped as they had expected, and the colorful ink marking the various dungeons and landmarks had not smudged into ugly, multihued globs. In fact, everything was undamaged and flawless, the water merely rolling off in raindrops on the polished Wonder Map.

"How… is that _not_ ruined?" Genevra looked at the map in still amazement.

"Elementary, my dear Genevra," Gallade answered in his most polite and knightly voice, inciting both Seekers to turn around to face him. He had somehow gotten out of the hot pool when they weren't noticing, and he was standing quite proudly. "You notice that the material of the paper is not just ordinary paper, but rather a paper specifically designed to withstand even the harshest of weathers. It is truly a magnificent map, do you see? It won't be ravaged very easily. This all-weather paper is a patented substrate made with virgin, durable, wood fibers, thus ensuring supreme quality in tolerating extreme conditions."

Roserade couldn't help but muffle a laugh. Gallade exclusively talked with this lavish and resplendent vocabulary in the presence of females, especially when there was a certain someone he was striving to appeal to. Somehow, Gallade managed to make masses of women and select men faint in dramatically girlish, dreamy movements whenever he spoke in such a demeanor.

Genevra, however, didn't swoon or faint in some dramatically girlish sweep. She merely stared at Gallade, unsmiling and apathetic. The Gardevoir, without a doubt, knew what Gallade was planning.

Redley, meanwhile, looked away, his thoughts writhing in jealousy and frustration. He didn't want to explode and destroy a mountain; rather, he felt like squirming and drowning in a sea of pain and self-worthlessness. He knew what Gallade from Team Raider was aiming for, and for that, his thoughts, concisely, were, _I'm doomed! I found Genevra, and now she's going to get taken away from me! Maybe this means we were never meant for each other in the first place!_

"Well," Genevra sighed out with a no-nonsense tone, "that's nice to know. You are…?"

"Gallade of Team Raider." The Gallade introduced himself with a grand gesture, swiftly lifting Genevra's hand in his own, kissing it tenderly.

This was tormenting Redley beyond his imagination. Within his mind, he thought his heart had just died a little more than before. He imagined himself now, some pathetically pitiful limelight shining on him as he crouched down on the floor, wailing in agony.

_For the love of Mew_, Redley thought, pangs of distress bombing him. _I feel like crying until there's no tomorrow! Surely, Genevra will leave me now, I won't have an exploration partner anymore, she'll go run off with Gallade from Team Raider, and I'll be left alone here living my life miserably just like before!_

Meanwhile, Genevra stiffly removed her own hand from his, feeling like some clumsy, unrefined Pokémon. She had never had to deal with anything like this before, and she certainly felt strange that such chivalrous behavior from a daring, charming stranger would happen to her. As such, she was undeniably uncomfortable at the current situation.

_... I want to rip him into SHREDS! _Genevra thought, a small vein popping quite angrily. The Gardevoir did her best to keep herself under control.

"You say that you two are an exploration team?" Gallade continued in his alluring, deep baritone. Of course, he was well aware of Genevra's awkwardness at the moment, as well as Redley's worrisome jealousy. Yet, he somehow found all of this amusing.

Genevra shot a quick glance at Redley, sensing that something wasn't quite right with her partner. After all, Gallade had just kissed her hand, and she wondered how he was handling this. At most, she saw that he was shaking slightly, but he kept himself under control. Pity touched the Gardevoir's heart, and she turned back to Gallade by giving him a blunt nod, saying, "Yes."

"Though you two don't seemed to be very experienced."

Knowing that Redley wouldn't talk (his lips seemed to be glued together very tightly, as Genevra noted), she continued. "We haven't been together very long."

"I know. You did mention you were in the middle of an evaluation." Gallade looked at Redley.

"Yes."

Gallade suddenly laughed, inciting shocked expressions from both Genevra and Redley. "Would you mind telling me what kind of evaluation you two are doing?"

"Guildmaster Wigglytuff assigned us Test A," Genevra answered.

This time around, the response incited shocked expressions from Gallade and Roserade. As Master Rank exploration teams, they knew the meaning of Test A. The two looked at each other, an intuitive, almost telepathic conversation occurring between them. After a short time, Gallade looked back at Team Seekers, prepared to ask more questions. Throughout the entire conversation, Genevra only could speak, for Redley was amazingly quiet. Anyone could tell that poor Redley was clearly being tortured, his anxiety gnawing at him like yeast feasting on sugar.

"Test A?"

Genevra nodded, feeling as if she didn't want to waste her words with the Gallade anymore.

"And you started this evaluation..."

"Two days ago. Today's our third day."

"And you just finished your third task?"

"Yes."

"Which leaves you to get Perfect Apples for the last task?"

"Yes."

Genevra's bluntness was starting to irk Gallade, yet at the same time, he relished it all. No other female had made him feel this way; the feelings of direct and plain comebacks from the Gardevoir were not merely entertaining, for her sharpness and honest genuineness attracted Gallade. She was much more of a true, and mature, Pokémon than anyone else he had ever met. Genevra was particularly a sharp contrast from the laughably girlish, flirtatious, and superficial members of Team Charm. Where Genevra had more of a deep, pure sterling individuality, every other female out there, especially those from Team Charm, had a thin, artificial, and shallow personality.

_Perhaps that's why Redley likes her, too_, Gallade thought to himself.

"Well, then," Gallade sighed, and smiled to himself. "Well, then. That is, in the least to say, impressive. I wonder why Wigglytuff assigned you this evaluation. Are you aware of how challenging it is?"

"… We were warned about it," Genevra said, remembering how Chatot reacted when Wigglytuff assigned them the evaluation.

"In any case, this means that you are a notably capable exploration team if you have made it this far. From my standpoint, I see that you'll complete the evaluation in four days rather than the standard seven."

"… Your point?"

"I sense a rivalry," Gallade answered, and with this, he looked directly at Redley, who was very, deathly still. Redley stared at him back, though neither in anger nor in fear nor in defiance, but rather, in candidness integrity, not proud nor wrathful.

"For your information," Genevra started, noticing the obvious glare between the two. Good Arceus, she did _not_ want this to turn into some stupidly corny soap opera in which two males were fighting over a female. Instantly, she took Redley's hand in her own — Redley was undoubtedly surprised — and said, "We're not trying to become the world's best exploration team."

Gallade looked back at Genevra in amusement with a smile that read, _I see what you did there_. "Then why did you form an exploration team?"

Genevra paused, wary of her answer. She looked at Redley, who seemed to tell her with his eyes, _Please, don't tell Gallade about the Relic Fragment!_

For the first time, Gallade saw that Genevra was hesitant in answering. This didn't repulse him, by any means, but it only made the Gardevoir more intriguing. Evidently, he had hit a vulnerable spot of not just Genevra, but to Redley as well.

"Why we became an exploration team is none of your business," Genevra said finally after the graceless pause.

_In other words,_ Gallade thought, _You became an exploration team for personal reasons. You obviously aren't in it for the fame or attention, so it seems._

Knowing that this was all he was going to get out of the conversation, he sighed, relaxed — such a sigh would make many Pokémon squeal in joy and infatuation — and said to Roserade, "I'll be back for a bit."

Roserade nodded, understanding Gallade. By now, Roserade was one of Gallade's closest friends; saying, "I'll be back for a bit," meant that he was off to spend some alone time, doing some heavy thinking.

"Of course," Roserade waved, and the Gallade went off to a close area, though it would be in a place difficult for him to hear anyone in the Hot Springs. As anticipated, Genevra and Redley didn't bother with any kind of goodbye.

"Well, now that he's gone," Roserade addressed the Gallade the Gardevoir quite happily, "I assume that'll be a relief to you two."

Genevra and Redley looked at each other. "In a sense, I guess so," Genevra said carefully.

Roserade laughed warmly, hoping to lighten the atmosphere. "Come on, let's go back to the springs. You two look like you've overworked yourselves. The hot water will soothe your pain away."

It took some time, but both Redley and Genevra eventually sank back into the Hot Springs, attentive of the unhappy Pokémon around them ("_Jerks!_" some of the Pokémon mumbled loudly), though Roserade's authoritarian presence and glare made some of them back off. No one would dare retort back to a powerful member of Team Raider.

"So, I'm curious," Roserade asked in a casually kind tone. "How did you two come to meet each other? Are you two, by any chance, in a relationship?"

"FWWWHAAAAAAATT?!" both the Gallade and the Gardevoir exploded, stuttering incomprehensible speech. Pokémon from nearby glared at them in vengeful fury, looking as if they were ready to murder Redley and Genevra without any feelings of guilt.

_Are the hints really that obvious?!_ they thought in unison. _Surely, we just look like we're just friends!_

At this point, the reader might muse on how hilariously contradictory both Pokémon were, especially Redley. For one, Redley was clearly jealous of Gallade before, being tortured through all the anguish and misery of thinking that Genevra would leave him — thank Arceus Genevra hadn't fallen for him! — and yet, it was also apparent that were anyone to bring out any mention of a relationship, he would have some exaggerated spasm, very much like Genevra. The Gardevoir herself was in love with Redley as well, though for someone like her, she would very much keep it as a secret rather than having it exposed, naked to everyone. But, oh, did Roserade find this adorable. Without even a sprinkle of doubt, they were in love with each other, and they simply did not want to admit it.

Roserade took note of this, giving the two a perplexed look. "Did I really offend you that much? If I did, I offer my deepest apologies."

Genevra shook her head, as if to get rid of unwanted flies buzzing around her. "I-I'm sorry. A, a question like yours is not… what we're used to expecting…?"

"W-well, other Pokémon have said the same thing a-about us," Redley stammered unusually, his voice shaking as if he were in the middle of a cold winter. "We, we're just in an exploration team. There's nothing really going on b-between us."

Roserade decided not to pursue the answers to the question any further, and so he switched back to his first question. "But, I do wonder how you two have met each other. I won't ask why you two are in an exploration team together, since you don't seem to be comfortable talking about it."

"W-well," Redley looked at Genevra, unsure if it would be okay to tell him how they had met. The Gardevoir nodded, giving him permission, and he began explaining the details.

"We met after the night of the big thunderstorm. Genevra was washed up on the beach near Treasure Town, and I found her lying down on the sand sometime around sunset. She was, unconscious, I guess I could say, and when she woke up, we just… met each other that way."

"Ah, so you _saved_ her? How gallant of you." Roserade decided at this point not to meddle any further into their story. He knew he was already making them feel uncomfortable enough; there would be no reason to question them any further.

Redley released a weirdly tight smile, flustered by Roserade's remark. He thought, _I didn't actually save her. I didn't go into the water and pull her out of the storm_…

Genevra, notwithstanding, didn't seem to mind the comment. She turned her head away from Roserade and Redley, her mind sinking into a pensive mood.

_"So you _saved_ her? How gallant of you." _Roserade's words were echoing like resonant mirrors within her conscious, bringing a faint and delicate blush to her cheeks.

_When he puts it that way,_ Genevra thought, her blush deepening, _Redley did save me. If I hadn't met Redley, then maybe I'd be dead, my body being eaten by some wild Pokémon… Maybe I should stop overreacting and just admit that I…_

"Genevra?" Redley looked at his partner, noticing her expression. "Are you… okay?"

"Ah, yeah." The Gardevoir nodded briskly, and then gave an attempted smile. "It's just that the water is really nice. It's very… relaxing."

Indeed, it was relaxing. The Gardevoir sank into the water a little deeper, coming to the realization that her body seemed much more comfortable. It didn't take very long for her to notice that those displeasingly abhorrent sores were now vanishing away into an abysmal oblivion, the muscles relieving its stress with every moment that passed. She smiled contently to herself for this, the happiness almost overwhelming her.

"The Hot Springs are definitely a wonder." Roserade smiled. "It's amazing to think that a place like this could even massage away your body pains. Gallade and I come here all of the time after doing any kind of tiring mission."

"Oh, that's… that's nice," Redley said, hoping to fill the air between them with some sound.

From then on, the most mundane of silences took place, all Pokémon falling under a tranquil spell of rest from the hot pool, leisurely spending their time watching the clouds float by, enjoying the water ebbing against their own bodies, doing anything that demanded little work of the body or the brain.

Of course, it was interrupted when Gallade made an abrupt appearance back at the Hot Springs. Redley flinched ever so slightly at his arrival, while Genevra put on her guard, wary of Gallade. Roserade, on the other hand, greeted his teammate with a generous smile. The smile wasn't returned, and the three could see why when Gallade was followed by a Magnemite.

"We've got another mission to do, and the Magnezone Police Department needs our help for it," Gallade said seriously, his dark baritone revealing hints of a threatening urgency. "Rhyperior is already at the Crossroads waiting for us. We need to get back and prepare."

Roserade matched Gallade's tone, the smile disappearing as if it had never been there in the first place. "What's the situation?"

"Zzzt. There have been reports of Lugia on a rampage. Zzzt. There was a huge hurricane in a section of Panthalassa Ocean." Magnemite crackled with electricity. "Lugia caused a gigantic storm just recently, destroying cities in the ocean, and the Lanturn Police Department has contacted us saying they need our help. Zzzt. We are not sure where Lugia is headed for next, maybe Miracle Sea or Surrounded Sea. Zzzt. Either way, we can't let Lugia head for our town next. Zzzt."

Hearing this, Redley and Genevra's ears perked up in alarm. Roserade immediately removed himself out of the Hot Springs, grabbing his towel as Gallade grabbed his own. Around them, Pokémon started noticing the severe situation, murmurs of worry and fright springing up within the crowd.

"Alright, then," Roserade said, turning back to Redley and Genevra. "It was nice to meet you two. May we meet again one day."

"By the way," Gallade lifted an arm towards the west, pointing towards the direction, "in completing your test, you'll want to go over there towards Apple Woods." Here, Gallade smiled. "Those Perfect Apples aren't too difficult to find for a team like yourselves; they're all the way in Deep Apple Woods. Just beware of the spiders, though I'm sure you'll be capable of handling them."

Redley and Genevra looked at Gallade in shock. Even in such a setting where such crucial news had just been delivered, he was willing to help them complete their evaluation.

_Spiders…?_

"Though you two have just met us today, I can feel that this is not the last time we will see each other," Gallade continued, his eyes displaying charismatic warmth, notably towards Genevra. "We'll be seeing you again."

_... I still want to rip him to shreds..._

Before either Genevra or Redley had time to say anything, Gallade commanded, as if he were a military general, "Let's go. We can't waste any more time."

With noticeable speed, the two went their ways away from the Hot Springs, leaving the Pokémon behind filled with an abundance of unanswerable questions and comments of appall.

"Lugia? You mean, _Lugia_?" one whispered very quietly.

"I can't believe it!" another mumbled. "That's terrible!"

"I've heard from other explorers about storms in the Panthalassa Ocean, but the _Treasure Town Times_ never ran a full article about it! Who knew cities were being destroyed?"

"Well, a team like Team Raider will certainly be capable of handling such a disaster."

Regardless of the current chatter buzzing around like bees, Genevra and Redley looked at each other in uncertainty. The sudden, unforeseen news rendered both Pokémon dumb and aghast, and they weren't sure what to do or what to say. What a shock the irony must've been — Lugia, the supposed "Guardian of the Seas" was doing the exact opposite a guardian was destined to do: destroying what She was supposed to protect.

Genevra sighed to herself. Somehow, the news about Lugia was bothering her a lot more than it was supposed to. She briefly flirted with the idea of visiting the Treasure Town Library, as Redley had suggested some time ago, not to help regain her memory, but to see if she could find anything about the legendary "Guardian of the Seas." The name itself sounded very familiar; where had she heard of Lugia before?

_Most of all, _Genevra thought, _Why does this seem so important to me?_

Apparently, the situation wasn't bothering Redley as much as it was to Genevra. In all honesty, he had to admit he was glad Gallade was gone, though he couldn't forget Gallade's warning to them: _"We'll be seeing you again."_ All the while, the news of Lugia's rampage tugged at him, but Redley himself felt as if he was walking through some thick, imperceptible fog in deciding how he should react next. Certainly, he did not carry Genevra's idea of going to the library to do research about Lugia.

"Redley," Genevra said quietly to the Gallade.

The Gallade looked at her attentively. "Yes?"

"I'm just wondering, do you think we could pay a visit to the library after the entire evaluation is done?"

Redley had absolutely no reason to say no. "Yeah, of course. Is it for your memory loss?"

"It's more about Lugia than about my memory loss," Genevra responded. "We can focus on that at a later time. It's just… I have a really bad feeling about this."

The Gallade looked at her curiously, knowing that Genevra had something on her mind.

_But then again, it seems like Genevra can predict the future_…_ She was right about Drowzee and Azurill, anyways…_ the Gallade thought.

"Do you… possibly know anything about Lugia?" Redley asked carefully.

Genevra looked at him, her eyes meeting his. "I might. I'm not sure. I feel like I know something about Lugia, but I need to double-check a few things first. Still…" the Gardevoir sighed, as if relieving herself of the bad news, "that doesn't matter yet. We need to finish our evaluation first."

"Ah, yeah." Redley looked towards the dirt path, signs pointing to Treasure Town poking out from the bushes.

For the rest of the afternoon, the two Pokémon stayed in the Hot Springs, knowing that another opportunity to rest wouldn't be coming for a long while. It was especially a relief to Genevra, and she was, for sure, quite happy that her body wasn't as sore as it had been. Battling others wouldn't be as much of a pain as before.

It didn't stop their minds from wandering off into pensive moods, though. For Redley, his mind was still occupied at the arrival of Gallade from Team Raider. Seeing him suddenly wanted to make Redley more possessive of Genevra, but if he acted possessive, then that would only make their relationship worse.

_Don't worry, Redley_, the Gallade assured himself. _It's fine enough that Genevra doesn't like Gallade. I can't get too possessive over her, either, because doing that would make me a terrible Pokémon. In relationships, I can't ever let myself be possessive over someone else. If I'm possessive over someone, how can I even call that love? That'd be called an obsession, and true love means both partners respect and trust each other. It never means being over-protective, or possessive… I can't be so selfish or dominating towards Genevra either…_

Genevra, meanwhile, had different ideas in mind. _Even though it's only been a few days… even though we haven't really known each other so long, why… why do we like each other? __Is this… what friendship is? Is this what love is? And why does Gallade like me anyway? Good Arceus, why is this happening to me…?_

Most importantly, the one thing they couldn't get off of their minds was, _When will we just admit that we like each other and let this waiting game end?_

* * *

The sky was beginning to turn into a deep, indigo blue, the clouds showing signs of developing a peachy, orange-gold color that signaled the sunset to end another day. Around the beach of Treasure Town, various citizens cluttered around in masses, for the news about the rampaging Lugia had finally settled within the entire population. Most of the Pokémon there were the admirers of Team Raider, nearly crying at the sight of seeing their beloved team leave, but also screaming girlishly in that they would be awaiting Team Raider after they defeated Lugia. To them, the diehard devotees, Team Raider would succeed and save the world from the rampaging Lugia. (Of course, they would be very, so very wrong later.)

There were also other citizens of Treasure Town, all of them getting ready to say good-bye to the select Pokémon who were chosen to aid Team Raider in defeating Lugia. These chosen Pokémon were seemingly ordinary Pokémon with families, be it husbands or wives or children. However, they were chosen for their extraordinary skills — they used to be top-notch explorers, after all — and for their specific types: Ghost-Type, Ice-Type, Electric-Type, Dark-Type, and Rock-Type. There weren't many Rock-Types, but for the ones that were, they were the brave souls who decided to help build the temporary army to fight against Lugia. (Worried loved ones kept wondering if the Rock-Types would survive against the water, but those who were Rock-Types assured their loved ones that they would come back in one piece.) Surely, with an army like this, it would be much easier to take down the Lugia.

And last, but not least, certain Pokémon from the Magnezone Police Department would be accompanying the expedient, temporary army as well. For one, a Sheriff Magnezone would leave with Team Raider, as well as two Deputy Sheriff Magneton. Though it seemed like a small number, it was suffice to say that no more Pokémon needed to accompany the entire army.

It was around late afternoon when Team Raider and the chosen Pokémon had finally departed from Treasure Town on a generously kind-hearted Wailord. Everyone on board was alert and ready, as if they were excellently trained soldiers in a first-rate military.

Except for Gallade.

Which was unusual, because Gallade was ordinarily the most alert, the most vigilant, and the most battle-ready of all Pokémon. Now, he seemed spaced out, lost in thought, with a soft look in his eyes threatening to take over the Gallade.

Naturally, Rhyperior noticed this strange behavior. Gallade was usually the pragmatic, no-nonsense, forceful, and rational leader. He was the type to take charge of something, demanding challenges to surmount him, having absolutely no patience with inefficiency. The normally dynamic, decisive, extroverted Gallade was now quiet, lost in thought, almost seeming to shun himself from the world.

"What's up with Gallade?" Rhyperior whispered to Roserade. Surely, the Grass-Type must have known something had happened to him.

Roserade smiled, whispering, "Gallade's fallen in love. He met her while we were at the Hot Springs today."

"Are you sure he's not just flirting with another woman? He has a really bad habit of doing that. It's no wonder Team Charm hates the crap out of him."

Roserade shook his head quietly. "This time, it's different. And you can see that I'm not lying. When was the last time a female made Gallade turn into _this_?"

Rhyperior looked back at Gallade, noticing the soft, almost dreamlike quality of his eyes.

_ Yeah,_ Rhyperior thought, _t__hat's _really_ weird._

"You know, I can hear you two." Gallade smirked softly, a sad smile forming on his lips.

"This is unlike you, though," Rhyperior said. "You never let females do this to you. I thought you were the kind to flirt and then abandon."

"Oh, I am that kind." Gallade sighed, his soft smile turning into an even tighter one. "That's how I work around women. I flirt with every single one of them, and then abandon them. And they all come crawling back to me, no matter how much I hurt them. But now, sweet Arceus, it seems like I've finally received my punishment for being such a licentious man, for betraying all of those women. I find someone I really am in love with, Genevra, and… Oh, Arceus, she doesn't love me back. It's so very clear, that she does not love me back."

Feelings of amusement and pity stirred within the hearts of Rhyperior and Roserade. They had never seen Gallade like this before, and so they wondered what would be the proper way to react to their close friend.

"Anyways, I shouldn't be acting like this." Gallade sighed, turning his head away from his dear friends. "We've got a battle coming up, and if I make a mistake on my part, and we lose, then it'll be my entire fault. I can't let that happen."

Roserade looked at him empathetically. "I found out how Redley and Genevra met each other."

The Gallade didn't respond, but he grew curious and wanted to ask how they met. He didn't say a word, but Roserade intuitively knew that Gallade wanted the answer.

"It happened at the beach, apparently," Roserade started slowly. "It was the day after that really terrible thunderstorm just recently. Redley found Genevra unconscious on the beach, and from then on, they knew each other."

Still, nothing came from the Gallade.

"Redley was clearly suffering back there," Roserade went on. "I assume that you did notice him."

"Of course I did," Gallade suddenly said, and smirked oddly. "It's a pity that I couldn't have found Genevra first. If I had found the lovely Gardevoir before Redley, well…"

Roserade chuckled softly. "I almost felt bad for Redley. You were torturing him."

"Torturing him?" Gallade laughed a little this time, sounding noticeably angry at this accusation. Both Roserade and Rhyperior flinched at this sudden rage. "_Torturing_ him? _I_ am the one being tortured. He doesn't realize how lucky he is. Mark my words, Roserade…" Gallade looked up to the sky, the pink-shaded clouds above seeming to take the shape of a heart, "Anyone who has Genevra is lucky. I'd say she's much more beautiful than all three females from Team Charm. In fact, she's the most beautiful of them all… What am I saying?"

_What _are_ you saying? _His friends thought in response.

"Genevra shouldn't even be compared to any other female. She's superior to every female I've met."

Roserade and Rhyperior facepalmed; had they not been sitting on top of Wailord, they would've facefaulted instead. Both Pokémon sighed, the pity eminent within them.

"…Sometimes, I wish I could be you two. You two never have these womanizing problems as I do. You don't have to deal with the problems of being a womanizer."

Both Roserade and Rhyperior wanted to ask, _Is there anything we can do to help you?_ However, they already knew the answer to that question. The only way they could help Gallade was to continue doing their job. They were all members of Team Raider, and they could not ditch their duties. Doing so would result in the most serious of consequences, not just to them, but also to the Pokémon who were in danger of being destroyed by Lugia and Her rampaging storms.

_I know that I _am_ in love with Genevra after all_, Gallade thought sadly, and then smiled quite sorrowfully. _But she is not mine, and I'll never be able to see myself in her eyes…_

To the relief of Team Raider, no one had heard them discuss about these personal matters. Wailord was a gigantic Pokémon, and Team Raider was situated far away from the rest of the Pokémon, who were all too anxious and busy to even recognize the Gallade's dilemma.

Whether or not Wailord heard the discussion himself was also debatable; nevertheless, if he had heard it, Wailord would keep it a secret. After all, Wailord himself was an honest and decent Pokémon, and he would never spread around gossip about Gallade's love problem. To do such a thing would make him feel terribly awful, and nothing would ever be able to compensate such a feeling.

* * *

The reader, at this point, might surmise that Team Skull is gone forever. Ideally, that's what we want to happen to unwanted antagonists. But those readers who are a bit more meticulous on the art of reading might think otherwise.

Yes, Team Skull was back, and not for any good either.

They weren't near any vicinity of where the Seekers were — they had secretly fled back to Treasure Town, hiding from others, especially from that dreaded Wigglytuff. They had no desire whatsoever to appear before him, for it would be the worst humiliation they would face if Wigglytuff were to find out about their little mishap at Mt. Bristle.

"Blast those losers!" Skuntank snarled as he angrily scratched a tree with a paw. The poor tree looked as if it was in pain from the Skuntank's razor sharp claws. "I'm still pissed off that they were able to defeat Salamence!"

"Whoa-ho-ho, Chief," Weezing coughed. "We still can do something about them. I mean, they still have to get the Perfect Apples, don't they?"

"Yeah, Chief," Golbat agreed, flapping his wings in excitement. "Ya know, if dey are goin' to Apple Woods next, den maybe we can bring back da Perfect Apples first."

"Yeah, as if _that_ will do any good. After all, they already saved Azurill _and_ defeated Salamence. Besides, they've probably already accomplished the other tasks before we did. So much for getting revenge."

Weezing and Golbat looked at each other mutely, unsure of what to say next. Both were afraid that if they were to say anything, they might find themselves being yelled at by their chief.

"Unless…" Skuntank flicked his tail, a plan formulating in his head. "Unless…"

A silence hung quite sinisterly in the air. Weezing and Golbat sensed that the Chief had _something_ planned. Whatever it was, they both knew it would be deliciously evil.

"Well… We'll just wait for them to come and snatch those Perfect Apples… because when they do, _they'll_ be running away like scaredy-cats this time!" Skuntank chuckled eerily, delivering shivers to Weezing and Golbat.

"So…" the two Poison-Type Pokémon said in unison, trying to deduce what the Chief might say next.

Skuntank smirked at his team members. "We may have lost the battle against Team Sneezers, but that doesn't mean they have won the battle. Here's the deal: if we stop them from getting those Perfect Apples, they'll _fail_ the evaluation. They might've accomplished the other tasks, but if they fail the last one, it's over for them. Boys, we're going to Apple Woods!"

Hearing this, the Poison-Type Pokémon agreed enthusiastically. If they hadn't, they would've received an unpleasant scolding from their boss.

* * *

At a far later time, the Seekers decided to rest near the Hot Springs for the night before heading to Apple Woods, while Team Skull had finished hiding all of the Perfect Apples in the forest. They seemed to be in a comfortable setting, although another certain Pokémon wasn't.

Grovyle panted heavily, having just narrowly escaped a wild Swalot that was chasing after him. The Swalot complained about not having enough to eat (something like saying that a Grass-Type like him would make a delicious dessert), and that was when Grovyle knew he had to flee for his life.

He certainly hoped Genevra wasn't in the same situation.

Of course, that wasn't the main thing focused on his mind at the moment. Rather, it was the very fact that the word was spreading about a certain Pokémon: Lugia.

He had overheard nearby Pokémon talking about Lugia, and he remembered their conversation very distinctly. Grovyle was crossing over the mountains, Whitestone Mountains, and a trio of Pokémon were talking about Lugia rampaging in the Panthalassa. The green lizard was hiding within the shadows of the trees and bushes when he heard the discussion, and in hearing the word about what was happening he panicked.

_Just exactly how far back in time did Celebi send us?_ Grovyle was thinking urgently. _If she sent us to the year where Lugia became Shadow Lugia – Primal Lugia, then maybe we don't have as much time after all!_

At realizing this, Grovyle shook his head madly, the fear gaining control over the Pokémon faster than he hoped it would. He looked upwards to the sky, scanning around to find the North Star. If he followed the direction of that star, then he knew that he would be heading in the right direction to Treeshround Forest.

_ Genevra, where are you? I really must find you!_

_ No, Grovyle._ The green lizard forced himself to calm down. _Genevra is fine. She is fine. You will find her. You will find her. You will collect those time gears. And you will save the world. The Dark Future will cease to exist. This is the promise you made with Genevra. This is the promise you made to Celebi. The promise you made to everyone living today._

Sighing to himself, he looked around his environment. He was starting to get tired, and he needed to find some place to sleep. All the while, it had to be suitable enough so that he wouldn't get eaten by any wild Pokémon.

The lizard glanced up at a nearby tree. It was tall, and Grovyle assumed that it was unoccupied. Silently, he began climbing the tree, his own Treasure Bag bouncing back and forth softly against him. He listened carefully around the tree, and hearing nothing, he decided it was suitable enough to sleep on for the night.

After settling comfortably against a fork of branches, the leaves providing him cushions against the hard wood, he sighed to himself, and said a prayer.

_Dear Arceus, let me find Genevra soon…_

_ You're getting a lot more worried than you usually do, _a voice inside Grovyle noted. _What if you really don't find Genevra?_

_ I can only hope… _he thought back, about to lose his calm.

_Still, what if something bad really happened to her?_

Nothing_ bad happened to her! _he snapped back to the voice in anger and frustration.

The voice stayed quiet, almost as if it were amused by Grovyle's frenzy. In response, the green lizard frowned, dismayed at his hysteria.

_Nothing bad happened to her… nothing bad happened to her… How did we get separated anyways? She was holding my hand, and she couldn't have gone very far at all. Yet I should've found her by now…_

_ Maybe you should give yourself some more time. Maybe give it some time, and then you'll find out where she is… Or better yet, you'll find her and complete the mission…_

The apprehensive voice wasn't done bothering Grovyle.

_Nothing bad happened to her _yet.

_Nothing bad happened to her, and nothing bad will _ever_ happen to her!_

_ Something bad will happen to her._ The voice chuckled haughtily. _Something bad will happen to Genevra, and there isn't anything you, Grovyle, can do about it._

Grovyle sighed, his tense muscles uselessly attempting to relax. He forced his eyes shut, commanding his entire body to rest. He still had a far way to go to Treeshround Forest, and there was absolutely no way he was going to let some stupid, obnoxious voice get in the way.

Despite Grovyle's insistence that Genevra was okay, and that _nothing_ bad happened to her, the lizard couldn't help but feel that deep down, something bad was going to happen to the Gardevoir. Whatever it was telling him this — his intuition, his instinct — he hoped it was completely, and unquestionably wrong.

* * *

And somewhere else within the night, another Pokémon had narrowly escaped the wrath of Lugia's destructive storm.

Deep within some mildly cold waters of Panthalassa Ocean, a mystical looking serpent was swiftly swimming to the best that he could. His light blue tail was wrapped protectively around the Royal Egg — a transcendentally colored, dark-aqua egg with little golden spheres forming the shape of an angelic halo, dancing innocently around a rich burgundy orb.

The confounded storm had rendered the Dragonair temporarily unable to fly, especially since his body received a blowing shock from the violently unnatural winds, their speeds nearly strong enough to rip apart Pokémon into tiny pieces. Good Arceus, the winds were destructive enough to dismember bones and organs of any Pokémon standing in their way. Such was the power of Lugia's cruelly demoniac storms, and it went by default that anyone witnessing these storms would be _scared. _It didn't help that the raindrops smashed down onto the ocean like the bullets of a gun. They were so strong, and so lasting that were any Pokémon to feel the harsh raindrops pellet down to them, it would be similar to experiencing icy golf balls drilling brutally into their bodies.

It might as well have been called a war instead of a hurricane.

"For the love of Kyogre," Dragonair whispered to himself, the tears rolling down his cheek, "I must deliver the Prince of the Sea to safety."

It was all because of that damn Lugia. Why did the monster have to go in such a rage? What in the name of Arcues would provoke Her to cause a storm? She destroyed the Royal Palace — She didn't even care! — and She _murdered_ the King and Queen of Panthalassa. And though the Panthalassa Military tried to protect the Royal Palace, their efforts were all in vain. Dragonair could remember the gruesome sights of death everywhere — dead bodies chopped up mercilessly from the winds, the ruthless rain, the wildly flying debris of destroyed buildings — and the screams of torture and agony. And blood.

Oh. The. Blood.

There. Was. So. Much. Blood.

What was worse was that because it was underwater, the blood that spewed forth from dead Pokémon was streaming artistically as if they were ribbons, as if blood swimming in the ocean was an admired art, vanishing away into graceful and sinister ecstasy.

The serpent thought he saw Hell.

As a loyal butler to the Royal Family, he painfully agreed to escape the Royal Palace with the Royal Egg. Dragonair was the most trusted butler of all butlers, and so the Royal Family had pure confidence that he would not disappoint them.

The Royal Family declared that they would stay back and fight against Lugia, fight against Her rampaging storm.

And what pity, because even though they stayed back, their efforts were all wasted.

If only Kyogre were awake.

Of course, that would be silly. If Kyogre were to awake once again, then Groudon would have to awaken too. And if they were to both awaken, that would only cause destruction for the entire world they lived in. Yes. Awakening Kyogre would be silly.

Dragonair lifted his head out of the waters once again, looking up to the sky. At the moment, he was far away from Lugia's storm, for the stars above him shined vividly, as if they could not see the hurricane. He searched for the North Star — following the North Star would lead him to the Surrounded Sea — and grateful that he spotted the ever-bright star so easily, he dipped his head back in the water and swam onwards. The last memory of the King and Queen ebbed back into his mind, and he couldn't help but remember their last words to him.

_"The Surrounded Sea is where you must go,"_ _the Queen told him gently, holding back tears._

_"In the very center of the Surrounded Sea, there is an empty palace that is invisible to all Pokémon. But if you arrive on the night of the lunar eclipse, the palace shall be visible, and you are to take the Royal Egg to that palace and raise our son from there," the King added in a much more serious tone than his wife's._

_"B-but…" Dragonair protested feebly. It was the first time the loyal servant had ever talked back to the Royal Family. "I— I can't—"_

_ "You _must _and you _will._" The King looked at Dragonair sternly. "This is your last order from us. Should you fail, we will be forever disappointed in you."_

_ Dragonair lowered his eyes, desperate to fight back his tears. There would be no use in arguing. "Yes, my King and Queen."_

The blue serpent fought back tears once again. Damn Lugia and Her storm.

He gripped the egg even tighter with his tail, the beautiful egg completely hidden by the grasp.

_I must go on,_ Dragonair thought forcefully. _I must go on and fulfill their last wish…_

* * *

Okay, so I've got _a lot_ to share in this author's note. Please bear with me! Otherwise, just skip it and call it a day.

1. My thanks to all the reviewers/commentators/readers who have faved/followed this story. I mean, all of the comments make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and I can't thank some of you enough for that. If I don't PM you or respond to your comment or say thanks for faving/following the story, it's because I'm really, really busy (school/real life, I'm looking at _you_!), but if you commented, just know that I _have_ read it and I really appreciate you taking your time to make a comment. :D So yeah, all of you who have commented/faved/followed are amazing and shtuff.

2. Do not take Gallade's word about Team Charm. Yeah, I know I wrote that he just doesn't like Team Charm, and that they're "shallow, superficial, etc." but that's from his point of view. I mean, when our heroes meet Team Charm, they'll get a different view of them. What Redley and Genevra think of Team Charm will be different from Gallade's opinions, but still, please don't flame or hate me if it seems like I've degraded Team Charm. *shot*

3. Next chapter will come ASAP. School and real life is really starting to hit hard on me. Argh. AP Literature is fun! :P Well, AP classes are fun in general. Yes, I'm being sarcastic. I should've just stuck with Honors classes instead. *bangs head against my desk* You guys are lucky you got the chapter today, only five days away from the last update. Please excuse me while I go drown into my huge pile of essays and homework. *faints*


	9. Where Bonds Grow Deeper into Veracity I

Warning: There will be gore/death in the chapter. Not that I already warned you because the story is rated T anyways. Plus, the previous chapter mentioned blood. The phrase "sinister ecstasy" still creeps me out to an extent. Another warning: beware of taxonomy jargon coming up pretty quickly, though it won't be so long before it ends.

* * *

Chapter 9: Where Bonds Grow Deeper into Veracity, Part 1

The studious taxonomist will find that there is a quite distinctly succinct definition of the word _spider_. By their definition, a _spider_ is an organism classified under the Animalia Kingdom (in which they are multi-cellular, eukaryotic organisms) under the Arthropoda Phylum (a subclass of animals in which they have external skeletons, segmented bodies, and jointed limbs), which falls under the Arachnida Class (in which arthropods have exactly eight legs and two body segments), then falling under Araneae Order. That said, the definition of the araneae is what makes a spider a spider: it has fangs that can direly eject poison, possessing numerous, shiny eyes as well as spinnerets that grant them the ability to make webs with viscously sticky silk.

Gallade didn't take this into account when he told Redley and Genevra about this, obviously. When he warned them about "spiders," what he really meant was the intimidating, non-spider Ariados living in Deep Apple Woods. However, everyone knew them as "spiders" — everyone pertaining to Pokémon living in villages in Apple Woods and adequately experienced exploration teams, that is. If a Pokémon wasn't either of them, they simply wouldn't know what a "spider" was. It wasn't any surprise when Genevra and Redley looked at each other in unknowing bewilderment at the Hot Springs the previous day when Gallade informed them of this. Besides, on first blush, Ariados are comparatively resonant to even ordinary spiders in appearance and function; hence their nickname "spiders."

Team Skull didn't understand anything about the "spiders" either. They were far too ignorant to even pay attention. So when they thought they were winning the battle against the Seekers, they were dreadfully wrong.

They kicked off their plan by sneaking into the shallow ends of Apple Woods, accomplished with relative ease. By the time they had arrived to Apple Woods, Team Raider and the temporarily sufficient army had just set sail to encounter Lugia and Her storm, and so the day was nearly over. The Pokémon living in the bestrewed villages of Apple Woods had just settled back into their own cozy homes, duly checking to see if any Ariados silk had trailed along their paths. Otherwise, they should find a repulsive Ariados sneaking into their homes and eating the family in the dead of the night. It seemed that on that certain afternoon, though, the Ariados had no interest of the villagers, for they could see three imbecilic Pokémon trailing deeper and deeper into Apple Woods, going so far into the forest that it was, in actuality, Deep Apple Woods.

It just so happened that those Perfect Apples were grown in Deep Apple Woods, the same place where the feared Ariados lived. The Ariados were very strategic, and very intelligent: Deep Apple Woods had a wonderful freshwater lake, as well as richly fertile soil, making it an ideal place for such delicious fruit to be grown. Many Pokémon longed for Perfect Apples, but they would always refrain from going into Deep Apple Woods to obtain such fruit because of the ominous "spiders." As mentioned before, villagers of Apple Woods as well as experienced exploration teams would know of the dangers of Deep Apple Woods. All of the poisonous Ariados lived there, patiently waiting for some innocently unaware, and perhaps stupid, Pokémon to capture with their horrendously sturdy silk, to slowly suck the living nutrients out of whatever creature they had captured.

It was custom for Ariados to never catch their prey at first sight; that would only prove them to be less intelligent and cunning than one thought they could have been. They were always accommodating, willing to endure the hunger that came from their stomachs. Pouncing upon their prey instantly had a higher chance of the prey escaping and calling for help from their own connections, only to drive away the Ariados into a longer time without any more food to eat; hence why the Ariados that night decided not to instantly catch Team Skull with their silk.

The Ariados living in Apple Woods was the apex of all challenges in Test A. Wigglytuff was very well aware that only seasoned Pokémon knew how to gather Perfect Apples, and only they would dare travel to Deep Apple Woods. After all, they were skilled in dealing with Ariados, wielding various techniques in driving away the predators to obtain Perfect Apples. The guildmaster had to check that Genevra and Redley would be capable of handling those nasty spiders, and if they passed this test, well, it would certainly be a feat prompting awe from Pokémon all over.

Team Skull moved along very stealthily, dodging Pokémon and villages that were in their path. The three thought they were wonderfully smart, they thought they were spectacularly amazing, they thought they were marvelous geniuses, especially Skuntank, who was the most overly prideful of them all. The Ariados watched patiently in the background, waiting and waiting, snickering to themselves in satisfaction of the guests who were hiding the Perfect Apples. Oh, did they have fun watching these arrogant morons.

The Queen Ariados, who was a disturbingly shiny purple color, watched the three dimwits pluck all of the Perfect Apples from their respective trees. Her ears were predominantly sharp, so it was quite easy for her to hear Team Skull "quietly" go over their plain. In summary, the leader, a fat skunk, commanded his underlings, a toxic cloud and a bloodsucking bat, to gather all of the Perfect Apples in sight, and hide them in the tallest, grandest, and quite possibly oldest non-apple tree that stuck out like a king tree in Deep Apple Woods. The grand tree had an impressively hollow cave at the very base of the trunk, tempting enough to shelter any poor soul from a storm. It was here where Team Skull hid the Perfect Apples, and they would then cover the entrance of the cave with the everlasting amounts of tree leaves scattered all around the forest floor. After hiding the Perfect Apples, they themselves would hide within the tree cave, feasting on large amounts of Perfect Apples.

What they did not know was that the tree cave happened to be the very same place that housed the eggs of Ariados.

* * *

The next morning, Genevra and Redley had woken up at a commendably early time, for they knew they would be setting off for Apple Woods in search of the Perfect Apples. While they were thinking that the last task would be more or less easy to accomplish as the third task, Gallade's warning about the "spiders" did haunt them quite gloomily.

"… Do you really think we should take Gallade's warning about the spiders?" Redley asked Genevra as they walked along the dirt path, the morning sun slowly rising to the sky.

"Well, I don't think he would be lying to us about them," Genevra said, remembering his warning. "If anything, I think he was trying to give us an advantage. But… what could the spiders mean?"

Redley sighed, disappointed that he could not answer the Gardevoir's question. "I kinda wish I knew the answer to that, but… well, I mean, I don't know."

"Well, then, I guess we'll just have to find out when we get there," the Gardevoir said, straightening herself. "This is our last task so hopefully, we can finish it without going through so much trouble."

An ordinary silence would have occurred, since Genevra's comment had finished the end of the conversation.

"… this even the right way to Apple Woods? I doubt we'll find Pachirisu anyways. That mission is almost two weeks old!" a half-timid, blossoming soprano asked.

"Don't worry, Mareep!" another innocent voice in a mild tenor replied. "We're going the right way! Besides, maybe we'll find some treasure if we don't find Pachirisu."

The Gardevoir and the Gallade turned around to find two other Pokémon not too far long behind them. A Mareep and a Gible were walking together, the Gible proudly carrying a Wonder Map as the Mareep trudged along, a Treasure Bag hanging around her back as if it were a horse saddle.

"Oh, look!" Mareep paused in front of the Seekers. "Another exploration team!"

"Hello there!" Gible lifted a pudgy hand to wave to them. "How are you?"

The sheep and the dragon could have been not much older than ten; their naturally high-pitched voices gave off a childishly young air, though that didn't mean they were immature. Perhaps, however, their sounds gave some the idea that Gible was reckless, and that Mareep was slightly more thoughtful before acting.

"Hi," Redley greeted and returned the wave. "We're doing well."

Genevra smiled at the sight of the young explorers. "You two are heading for Apple Woods too?"

Mareep nodded, returning the smile as her eyes shined in adorable delight. "We have to find Pachirisu, who's an outlaw."

"He swindled someone in Treasure Town a while ago," Gible continued. "Apparently, Pachirisu tricked our client by stealing his precious Water Stone. We need to get it back while bringing Pachirisu too."

"Still, the mission is over two weeks old, so maybe Pachirisu is far away from Apple Woods." Mareep sighed. "I'm kinda afraid that when we get there, we won't have the time to search all of Apple Woods."

Genevra tapped her chin thoughtfully before turning to her partner. Perhaps they could kill two birds with one stone. She and Redley were supposed to go far into Deep Apple Woods, and it wouldn't hurt to help a fellow exploration team accomplish their mission.

_Besides_, Genevra thought, _these Pokémon look like little kids… And for some reason, I feel worried about them anyway…_

"Why don't we help them while we're at it, Redley?" Genevra turned to the Gallade. "I mean, I know our own mission is important, but since we're all heading for Apple Woods, we might as well. If Pachirisu went into Deep Apple Woods, there's a chance we might find him. He could be near the Perfect Apples."

"Really?!" the sheep and the dragon said in collective unison, looking up at Genevra in a happy surprise.

Needless to say, Redley was surprised, but the Gardevoir's thoughtful suggestion could not make him say no. Deciding to be receptive, the Gallade answered to Genevra's question with a "yes," and the innocent cheers of happiness that came from Mareep and Gible not only touched Genevra, but also to Redley.

And so, the four went on walking along the dirt path heading for Apple Woods, making small talk. They all exchanged bits and pieces of information from each other, the Seekers learning that Mareep and Gible were orphans from the nearby Blissey Orphanage, not far away from the Chansey Day Care. Together, they had recently formed an exploration team at the Wigglytuff Guild without doing any kind of exam; Chatot and Wigglytuff had told them that they would start straight from the beginning and build their experience as an exploration team from there. Because they were now residing in Wigglytuff Guild, they no longer had to live under the guidance of Blissey. The occasional greeting was given to Blissey from time to time, and thus was the story of Mareep and Gible.

Genevra and Redley carefully constructed their own story, leaving out the specific mention of Genevra's memory loss and Redley's Relic Fragment. While they did acknowledge that Mareep and Gible were merely children, somehow telling them the truth so would seem more troublesome than it needed to be. If they were to find out the whole story about the Gallade and the Gardevoir, maybe unanswerable questions would spring up, and that itself was a reason for both Genevra and Redley to not tell their full story. The two also gave Mareep and Gible an explanation about their mission to collect Perfect Apples, though Mareep and Gible were, too, unaware about the Ariados, so they didn't comprehend the dangers they were about to set into.

By the time the late morning had arrived, the four Pokémon found themselves standing before the entrance to Apple Woods. The trees surrounding them were noticeably different; some of them were blooming with apple flowers while others carried baby apples. None of the trees showed signs of fully developed apples waiting to be plucked and eaten, but one could be sure that if the four were to head deeper into the forest, there would be a bountiful of trees holding ripe apples. From the entrance, a wizened and grand tree was visible; arising out of the center so much that it stood out from the rest of the forest, for it seemed to touch the white clouds in the sky. Of course, that tree was the same tree in which Team Skull had hid themselves and the Perfect Apples in, and of course, only the Ariados knew of it.

A sign was posted at the center of the entrance, standing between a fork in the road. One direction was to their left, an arrow declaring, TO THE SOUTH VILLAGE. The other arrow pointed to the right, reading, TO THE NORTH VILLAGE.

"So…" Mareep looked around her companions. "Which way do we go?"

Gible held up the Wonder Map. "Well, maybe we could go either way. I mean, Pachirisu could be anywhere." The dragon turned to Genevra and Redley, lifting his head up to meet their faces. "We could split up, but how would we get to communicate with each other?"

"Hm." Genevra thought about the problem, her mind examining the possibilities. "Maybe we can signal each other by using a move? I could form a Fairy Wind into the air high enough to see."

"Great idea!" The Gible grinned widely, unintentionally showing his sharp teeth. "I'll be able to use Sandstorm then!"

"Oh no, _anything_ but that!" Mareep shivered nervously, dreading the harshly abrasive Sandstorm. She looked at her partner with an unsatisfied eye, about to scold him as if she were a housewife badgering her husband. "You know how much I _hate_ your Sandstorms! I had to spend eight hours trying to get all of the sand out of my wool the last time you made one!"

Gible's grin turned into a frown, realizing that Mareep was right. He whined, "But I'll be more careful this time! I promise!"

"If we're gonna split up into two, then I'll make an Electro Ball instead!" Mareep stormed on, a cross-popping vein throbbing intensely against her forehead. "I don't want to spend so much time getting the sand out of my wool when I could be doing something else!"

"Aw…" Gible sighed like a kid, giving consent to his partner. "Fine."

The scene seemed to be cheerfully comical, in spite of the fact that there was an imminently macabre, and no doubt violent, event that was about to befall upon the four. Genevra and Redley looked at each other, amused by the little children standing before them. They shared a smile, delighted by the vivacity of Mareep and Gible.

At the end, Genevra and Redley decided to take the path to the South Village of Apple Woods, while Mareep and Gible would take the path to the North Village. Would anything come up, they agreed to signal one another so that they could meet together. The two teams said a casual parting to one another, knowing that they would be seeing each other later.

"Really, though," the Gardevoir said to the young Mareep and Gible, the worried tone eminent in her voice. "If anything happens, don't hesitate calling us."

"Don't worry!" Gible smiled happily, his eyes shining. "We'll be fine!"

Mareep nodded merrily. "We hope you'll be okay too!"

Redley found himself smiling at the warm scene. In witnessing this, he was touched, his red horn beginning to feel emotions of unconditional love and compassion around him; Genevra's feelings of care were noteworthy. He almost wondered if it was okay to be this happy, to stand next to the one he loved. It was a sharp contrast to his years of depression, and he realized how embarrassing it was to once think of suicide.

Besides, Genevra's concern for children made her all the more appealing. The emotion that came from the Gardevoir was impressionable to the Gallade, for all Pokémon in the Ralts evolution line were significantly more sensitive to emotional intelligence than other Pokémon. The fervor of emotion streaming through him now made him understand that he had never been so happy and content the past few days, and he was truly grateful to still be living today rather than join his parents in some other-worldly realm.

* * *

Some while later, the members of Team Skull woke up at a far later time than what one could call morning. Such an act would have angered and shocked all of members of the Wigglytuff Guild, especially Chatot, for they had their own strict standards on what time guild members should rise. Imagine what the punishment would be for rising up late — no dinner for that night, perhaps be denounced by the PETF, or even have their exploration team badges taken from them so that they would cease to be an exploration team. It was to Team Skull's benefit that they weren't guild members, but even though that was so, there was still a secure punishment they were about to face after a certain string of events.

All three Pokémon of Team Skull were quite lazy at the moment. Like dumb oafs, they rose slowly and lethargically within the tree cave, for they had eaten an exaggerated and unreasonable amount of Perfect Apples the night before. Their stomachs were filled with the delicious fruit, and they were foolish enough to let their gluttony take heavy control over all of them. In spite of that fact, there were still piles upon piles of Perfect Apples sitting quietly, waiting patiently to be devoured by some famished Pokémon.

"… Urgh…" Skuntank groaned, sunlight peeking between the leaves of the makeshift wall they had set up the previous night against the entrance. He was sure that if the entrance to the tree cave was covered up, then there would be no chance of Team Sneezers finding their coveted treasure. The three gathered loose leaves, old sticks, and scattered boulders, fastening them all together to the best that they could without having any sort of glue. It was done so well up to the point where a non-resident of Apple Woods would have glanced by it without a second thought, but the Ariados were mindful enough to not miss the awkwardness of the slapdash cover-up.

Golbat stirred next, his wings flapping shabbily, struggling to not fall down from the heaviness in his stomach. He had hung on a surprisingly sturdy but loose-looking root of the tree in sleeping last night, and his poor vision for a bat failed him to capture the Ariados eggs wrapped ingeniously in camouflage Ariados silk, the subtlety of it skipping him like any other ordinary background prop.

Weezing huffed quite loudly as he rose up, his eyelids opening just as laggardly as Skuntank and Golbat's movements. Unlike Golbat, though, his sluggish attitude froze when his eyes met the tree canopy; the fear and horror of staring at the dozens upon dozens of roundish dark silk forming the shape of spheres grabbing his heartbeat. It was a nightmarish scene, something seemingly taken out of some alien dream of the eerie subconscious; perhaps the formation could even be described as sickeningly yet pleasurably perverted. Sigmund Freud might have had a loony field day looking at such a mold, proclaiming the wackiest of psychological theories with mentions of male and female sexuality.

"Uh… guys?" Weezing's eyes went wider, his brain desperately registering the weird lumps above him. He was not aware that they were Ariados eggs, but he was intelligent enough to feel that something wasn't right with the _things_ above him.

"What?" Skuntank yawned lazily, turning towards the toxic could.

"Er… What's that up there?"

"I can't see a darn ding!" Golbat squinted his eyes, his facial muscles straining.

The skunk turned his head up, staring at the thingamajig above him blankly for a second or two. When he sensed that there was something unusual about the living apparatus above him, he paused seriously, a ghoulish gasp escaping from his mouth.

"Those…" Skuntank gulped, though all of the saliva in his mouth had drained as if his mouth became a desert. "Those, are, _eggs_!"

…

The realization hit all three as if they had just been hit by stones from behind.

"Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap!" Skuntank felt his body pulse with electrical fear, the oscillations making him lose more and more control of himself. "CRAP! What if they hatch right now?!"

"Chief, they look like they're moving!" Weezing yelled, Skuntank's fear now latching on to the toxic cloud. Indeed, it appeared that the lumps were moving, and it only made Skuntank and Golbat's skin crawl with itches.

"We need ta get outta here!" Golbat was flapping his wings frantically, eager to escape. "I don't wanna get eaten!"

A crack was heard, and the three looked up in alarm. They were positive an egg had just hatched.

"Neither do I!" Skuntank snarled, and immediately crashed down their makeshift cover-up, the leaves, sticks and boulders scattering all over the ground outside of the tree in chaotic sprinkles. At this point, he didn't care if Team Sneezers got the Perfect Apples, for his own survival was obviously more important. If they got the Perfect Apples, well, whoopee for them. He'd plot his revenge against them in another way.

"Wait up Chief!" the cloud and the bat said simultaneously, floating around the tree cave like deranged flies; they had already been left behind without a second glance from their boss. How selfish of Skuntank, considering that he couldn't even give a second thought to his own teammates.

"Oh, it's so nice to see that you've _finally_ awakened," an unfamiliar, dark mezzo snickered from seemingly out of nowhere. "You three are quite the lazybones. But I must say, you all look like you've got a nice dinner and a nice sleep, which means you must be wonderfully delicious to eat. And we personally all love Poison-Types, because Poison-Type Pokémon our some of the few types that make us stronger. I know I _adore_ the nutrients of Poison-Type Pokémon!"

Team Skull looked crazily around them, the voice only increasing their fears by tenfold. Their heads swung wildly from one point to the next, and Golbat was the first to see the shiny Ariados slyly slink down from a thread of silk on top of the tall tree beside them. Her grin was malicious, the fangs already excreting a deadly poison much more toxic than Weezing's Clear Smog. The normal strength of Ariados venom was savage and lethal, making Team Skull's poison look amateurish in comparison. A single drop of their poison could instantly cause the heart to stop beating if ingested, or if it landed on the skin of some Pokémon's anatomy, it would give them a lovely second-degree burn.

"_Welcome!_" the Queen Ariados cackled, more masses of Ariados now following en suite, hanging from their own threads of silk from the branches above. "I hope you're ready to get eaten!"

The members of Team Skull simultaneously screamed, jittering insanely as the instinct to survive took hold of them. No matter what direction they turned to, there was always another mass of Ariados ready to block them, baring their fangs as their poison and saliva dripped out of their mouths. Behind them from the tree cave, baby Ariados could be seen crawling out, their cries of hunger filling the air. The Perfect Apples were not going to satisfy their stomachs; they needed live prey to eat.

"Wh-wh-whadda we do?!" Golbat shrieked. One might have thought that it would have been easy for Weezing and Golbat to escape, but the Ariados wouldn't let their prey go so easily. They continuously spun silk in the air around them, all hanging from the tree branches; if they were to try and fly out, they would simply get caught into the web, the sticky silk capturing them.

Skuntank snarled, looking at Weezing. "Get ready for our noxious gas combo!"

"Whoa-ho!" Weezing replied, instantly releasing a transparent blob of poisonous gas.

The battle between the multitudes of Ariados and Team Skull whirled onward, exchanges of moves showering one another. It seemed easier in the beginning for Team Skull; they had enough consciousness and energy to dodge the Ariados silk as much as they could. Both Golbat and Weezing had enough space and agility to evade the silk. Skuntank was not so fortunate; being limited to the spaces of the ground, he was the first to get entangled within a strong thread of silk from an Ariados. Seeing this, Golbat and Weezing, too, fell down, ensnared by the webs, their struggles only growing more in terror and despair. All three screamed, their shrill sounds deafening the Ariados. The bugs kept ground, continuously wrapping them around in silk, only glad that there was more prey for them to feast upon when they were dead.

At this rate, Team Skull didn't stand a chance of surviving.

* * *

There were always specific parties of Pokémon who gathered Perfect Apples to make their living. In the way their economy worked, they would collect the Perfect Apples without getting eaten by the Ariados, and then make their way across various villages and towns, including the ever-bustling Treasure Town, to trade for other essential needs and necessities of life.

On this particular day, two brotherly friends, Charmeleon and Monferno, were setting out once again to Deep Apple Woods in search of Perfect Apples. Their Perfect Apple stock had run out and they required more to sustain their own needs. It wouldn't take much work to drive away the Ariados if they were preyed upon; their convenient Fire-Type moves would scare those spiders, rendering them into ninnies. Getting the Perfect Apples would be as easy as a spring breeze.

Ordinarily, the two friends wouldn't have paid attention to the environment around them with particular caution. Today, they instantaneously noticed the strange oddity that all of the Perfect Apples had been plucked, even when they hadn't gone so far to find the best of Perfect Apples in the forest. None were seen in sight. That wasn't the most frightening realization, however, for numbers of Ariados who weren't invited to eat Team Skull started slyly circling the Fire-Type Pokémon. The thought of making their usual rounds around villages and towns without having any Perfect Apples to make a profit off of alarmed them immensely.

"You're back _again_," one Ariados hissed with eminent disapproval. "If you want Perfect Apples, they're _all_ gone."

"There aren't any more for you to take," another said, crackles in the voice. "They've all been taken by three morons."

"All of them?" Charmeleon questioned, looking at the surrounding bugs.

"We have no desire to eat you," the first Ariados started again. "All we wish is that you get out _now_. There are no Perfect Apples."

"There has to be more," Monferno insisted, looking back at the fire lizard. "We can't go out of Apple Woods until we find a decent amount."

"We told you." The Ariados glared at the two crossly. "They're all _gone_!"

The two fired a simultaneous Flamethrower to all of the Ariados, the bugs flinching back in horror. Several gained third-degree burns, screaming and writhing in pain as they scurried away for survival.

"We're not going anywhere!" Monferno reiterated in a more demanding tone to the bugs. "There's more Perfect Apples here and we won't leave until we find them!"

"Then so be it!" another Ariados yelled angrily, charging for the two Pokémon, ready to eject strands of silk out of its mouth. The attempt was useless, as Charmeleon and Monferno easily burned the silk into particles of ashes. In sight of the power, all Ariados within visible range ran away like timid mice, not wanting to receive any more injuries from the two Fire-Types. Charmeleon and Monferno sighed in unison, relaxed that the spiders wouldn't bother to fight.

"Let's keep on going deeper," Charmeleon said. "There needs to be more. I'm sure of it."

Monferno nodded, and the two walked deeper into Apple Forest. Soon, they would stumble upon three dead bodies, very unaccustomed for the preferred daily familiarities, though they would eventually find what they were looking for: Perfect Apples.

* * *

It had been some time past noon when Mareep and Gible passed through the North Village. They asked the locals if they had seen a Pachirisu, and some replied that they had, but it had been at least a week ago since they last saw him. When the sheep and the dragon found out, their spirits diminished, and they began losing hope.

"Well," Gible started, trying to be a little more optimistic than normal. "Maybe Team Seekers have found something?"

Mareep snorted. "Yeah, if they had, they would've signaled us by now."

"That's it!" Gible jumped up from the boulder he was sitting on. "Why don't we signal them?"

"No Sandstorm!" Mareep snapped back. "I'm using Electro Ball—"

"Hey, you two!"

Mareep and Gible turned around together, finding a Ledian flapping her wings closer to them.

"Did you say you were looking for Pachirisu?"

Gible replied yes, and a disappointed sigh was the reply from the Ledian.

"What is it?" Mareep asked the ladybug.

"I know what happened to Pachirisu. But first, why exactly are you searching for him?"

The two quickly explained their mission to bring Pachirisu to justice and recover the Water Stone to its original owner, and the more they talked on about what they needed to accomplish, the more the Ledian's face twisted into negativity. Their voices faltered at seeing her reaction, and they wondered what she would say next.

"Pachirisu… is dead."

"!" was the reply from Mareep and Gible. The sheep and the dragon looked at each other in astonishment, questions pouring within the two Pokémon's minds.

"What do you mean?"

"If he's dead, what do we do now?"

"How did he die?"

"Where is he?"

Ledian looked at the two, switching from one Pokémon to the next in her view. "I was out looking for Apples when it happened. The Pachirisu didn't seem to know about the Ariados living around here, and we tried warning him about them, but he didn't listen. He stayed in our village for a night, but we didn't know he was a thief at the time. The next morning, some of our villagers' belongings were gone, and we went out to search for him. Instead, we found the Ariados feeding over his dead body."

Mareep and Gible paled, their throats feeling their own voices suddenly drained of their sound. They looked at each other in uncertainty, for the sudden flow of new information sinking in their heads was a little more beyond their capability of taking it in calmly.

"Do you still want to see him?" the ladybug asked. "His body hasn't been completely eaten."

Gible saw that Mareep was trembling nervously; it was clear she could not respond. The dragon himself could hear his heartbeat grow louder, a sign that meant he was just as nervous. "We'll… we'll have to go there and see…"

"Gible!" Mareep suddenly exclaimed, her soprano reaching into higher notes of her range. "B-but…"

"Even if Pachirisu is dead, we still have to find the Water Stone for Politoed!" Gible argued, his eyes showing a determination that displayed a true sign of bravery. "W-we'll just have to tell them that Pachirisu is dead…"

Mareep gulped, her mouth much more sensitive than before. For some reason, her tongue felt strange, the roof of her mouth foreign. She had never experienced such a dreadful event. "… Okay…"

"Is this really important to you guys?" Ledian went on.

"It is." Gible nodded. "We need to go back home with something in our hands."

"So I see." Ledian sighed. "Pachirisu was carrying a bag when he came to our village, and all of us were convinced that after he stole some of our things, they were in there. When the Ariados had finished with Pachirisu, we couldn't find the bag anywhere. We don't know where it is now. If you insist, though, we can go see the dead body."

Gible and Mareep looked at each other once again, another feeling of worry and shock transferring between the two. As coolly as she could, Ledian led the two Pokémon a little far ways from the North Village, paying close attention to see if any Ariados were following them.

"S-so…" Mareep began. "The A-Ariados… ate Pachirisu…"

Ledian confirmed that it was so.

"I… didn't know there was Ariados living around here," Gible commented.

"Well, not many know about it in the first place," Ledian said, and then looked at Mareep and Gible. "You two look pretty young for explorers."

"We're just beginners," was the reply.

"Ah, that makes sense." Ledian sighed. "It's not the best place to be here. The Ariados like to prey for Pokémon, and anyone who doesn't know about it will likely get eaten."

_Wait…_

"Genevra and Redley!" Mareep suddenly gasped, remembering Team Seekers. "What, what'll we do? They'll be in trouble! They said they were going to Deep Apple Woods!"

A sudden silence ensued, making both Ledian and Gible pause.

"You… have friends with you?"

Mareep paused, making a noise that read she was hesitating. "They… said they were going to get Perfect Apples…"

Ledian seemed careful. "Are… they experienced explorers?"

"They… look like they are." Mareep hesitated, the worry scrunching her face as she bit her lip. "They'll… they'll be okay."

"… We should signal them," Gible said quietly, sharing Mareep's fears.

"Have they been here before? If they have, it shouldn't be so much trouble for them. They should already have been warned about the Ariados if they've been here."

"They said something about an exam," Gible recalled, trying to remember any more important details. "But they look like they're strong… so yeah, I think they're okay."

"If you're really worried, we can alert other villages," Ledian offered. "All of us living here in our villages don't want any unlucky Pokémon to be eaten by the Ariados, especially if they're new explorers."

Mareeo and Gible shared a frown, though a part of them was eager to believe that Team Seekers was okay. They looked pretty strong after all; didn't they say they completed some missions before? Besides, they looked like adults, really — they didn't know about Genevra and Redley's ages, but they had the appearance young, strong adults — and they had a certain maturity about them that neither children nor young teenagers had.

Gible sighed, wanting to resume back to his normally cheerful attitude. "Let's… go look at Pachirisu first. Maybe we'll find a clue as to where his bag is. I mean, if we're really afraid, then we'll signal them."

Mareep did not feel like arguing — she wasn't quite sure what to say even if she wanted to. She merely nodded her head, and the three Pokémon went along away from the North Village, treading deeper into Apple Woods.

* * *

The Gallade and the Gardevoir were doing quite well, for they had already passed through the South Village of Apple Woods, making their way to head into Deep Apple Woods. Their questions were met with responses of curiosity and warnings, and when the specific mention of Ariados were brought up, Genevra and Redley sighed together, understanding finally what Gallade meant by "spiders."

"It doesn't seem too terrible," Genevra said, noting the lack of Ariados. The two had finished talking to their last villager they questioned a while ago, and they were now in the middle of Deep Apple Woods. "From where we are, shouldn't there be any Ariados by now?"

Redley moved his head from left to right. "I thought there would be Perfect Apples by now too. There aren't any in sight."

Genevra sighed, agitated. "This isn't helping us. We'll fail the evaluation if we come back without the Perfect Apples. After all that work we did…"

A sudden, fiery explosion materialized, brumes of charcoal-black smoke obscuring a partial view of the blue sky. The Seekers perked their heads up, the boom taking hold of their attention. They could see the source of the combustion, the smoke rising up from the king tree of Apple Woods. Both Genevra and Redley agreed to check into the event, dashing quite hurriedly into the scene of the burning outbreak.

Swarms of Ariados began to fill in the Seekers' view as they arrived at the mise-en-scène, all screeching at the searing hot pain of third-degree burns. For those who took notice of Genevra and Redley, they jumped out of their way, shoving into other Ariados as they tried to scuttle into safety, not even attempting to attack them. The displays of Ariados hordes were truly disturbing; anyone with terrible arachnophobia would faint at the sight of the massive arrays of Ariados, and even those who weren't would feel a jolt of creepy-crawlies sneak into their entire body. Despite the disquieting numbers of Ariados, a good percentage of them were seen fighting stubbornly against a Charmeleon and a Monferno, unwilling to give up to those Fire-Types.

The Queen Ariados was hanging from a large string of silk, a blood-red liquid dripping from her fangs as her forelegs carried a piece of dangling, freshly killed prey. Remains of Team Skull were scattered very loosely across the floor, the baby Ariados scouring and fighting over the bits of pieces that were Skuntank, Weezing, and Golbat. Charmeleon and Monferno occasionally burned alive some of the baby Ariados as they tried to fight back others; they had no time to place any moral value on the baby Pokémon. Their own instinct and will of survival were obviously more important, so killing off the baby Ariados did not make them feel guilt of any sort.

What chaos.

The Gallade and Gardevoir paused very briefly at the scene, absorbing in the scene. Their senses were overflowing with repugnancy and horror. The stench here was making even the grossest of city sewers smell like perfume, and the ear-piercing screams and clashes of dissonance were difficult to take in without covering their ears. All sensations were running high, the adrenaline pumping through their bodies like a hurricane, and the two Pokémon grimaced painfully, so much that their faces were hurting from doing so.

But there—

In the midst of all the chaos, Genevra and Redley saw the Perfect Apples sitting quite patiently in the tree cave, piles of healthy, bright burgundy fruit on piles. Those Perfect Apples seemed to reside in their own physically distant dimension, taking no heed of the stampeding pandemonium surrounding them.

Charmeleon and Monferno were already running out of breath, the last of their energy supply about to diminish further into oblivion. They had been fighting the Ariados with more effort and time than they could ever remember, for getting Perfect Apples never seemed to take this much strength out of them like before. Still, they could recognize the Gallade and the Gardevoir as allies immediately, and when they screamed out for help, Redley and Genevra responded, preparing their own moves.

Genevra swirled up a glittering Fairy Wind, picking up delicate traces of air movements as she summoned them into a greater power. She swiveled around, her dress pirouetting artistically, swinging nearly all of the Ariados into the air, the bugs audibly knocking into each other. Those Ariados who were hanging on their own threads of silk on tree branches snapped; the force of Fairy Wind was ruthless in snipping them into the massive cloud of Ariados flying in the air. With all the considerable effort she could muster, she swung the cloud of Ariados to a distance far away, breathing heavily in the process. The impact of crashing down would render the spiders unconscious, unable to move or speak; they would only have the ability to mumble incomprehensible noises.

Intuitively understanding that the Queen Ariados was not going to retreat, Redley aimed for her. His caliber in leaping high into the air was impressive for a Gallade; Queen Ariados was at least fifteen meters above the ground when Redley managed to attack her with a Night Slash. The sharp impact of his blades sliced into the Queen Ariados roughly, making her drop the bloody meat and screech in aftermath. The Gallade wasn't done; with another Night Slash, he was able to drive the cut of the attack so deeply into her abdomen that Redley felt a mix of Ariados venom and liquid splash against his entire left arm, as if it were an ocean wave.

Redley jolted, as if an electric wave had just coursed through his entire body. He must have hit the gland that produced the lethal venom in Queen Ariados, and the bug juice that now splayed across his arm was burning against his skin relentlessly. As the Queen Ariados retreated above into her own nest on the king tree of Apple Woods, Redley staggered back to the ground, doing his best not to fall face flat onto the floor. He landed on clumsy footing, ungainly exclaiming out in pain. Genevra went by his side without a second thought, the concern beating in her heart like a frantic butterfly, the rhythm only rushing into a faster tempo.

"What is it?" Genevra crouched down to meet Redley's height.

"I…" Redley sighed unevenly and heavily, the pain smoldering within him as he attempted to open his own satchel for Pecha Berries using his free arm. The berries would counteract with the poison that had splashed against him. "I forgot that Ariados had poison in them…"

Genevra was swift in reaching for the Pecha Berries. Quickly, she ripped a Pecha in half with her Psychic, smearing the sweet and sticky fruit all over the Gallade's burnt arm as if she were a nurse. The Gardevoir sighed as she thought, _You know, Redley, you didn't have to attack the Queen Ariados a second time; just one Night Slash would've finished her. If you had only been more careful, then—_

"Thanks for the help," Charmeleon called out as the two Fire-Types went over to the Seekers. "We needed it."

Monferno sighed, observing the dead pieces of Pokémon remains around him. "It looks like those unlucky three were eaten."

Genevra and Redley scanned the environment around them more carefully this time. Now that there weren't any Ariados, they could see that there were squirts of blood staining the grasses and dirt. Smells of iron and other body fluids flowed through the air like a river, and the abhorrent scents churned their stomachs. By nature, Gallade and Gardevoir were not Pokémon that ate other Pokémon raw and bloody; to do such a thing would harm their delicate digestive system and possibly give them the worst stomachaches of their lives, or they would find themselves dead from the intensity of cruel bacteria. Both Genevra and Redley had a difficult time breathing, but they endured the foul stenches lingering around.

"So, there were Pokémon here when you came?" Genevra asked the two.

"They were already dead when we came," Monferno answered, and grimaced at remembering the scene. "They were a Skuntank, a Weezing, and a Golbat. The Ariados were crawling all over them and ripped them into pieces. Some Ariados ripped each other just trying to share what they caught." The fire monkey shivered. "They were all fighting for the food…"

Genevra and Redley glanced at each other in alarm. Surely, the description had matched Team Skull, and since they were assigned to be an obstacle to the Seekers in Test A, they had to know about the Perfect Apples in Apple Woods. An understanding swept instinctively between the two Pokémon: Team Skull had been here in trying to grab the Perfect Apples for themselves, or at least make sure the Seekers wouldn't get the fruit before they did. Both the Gallade and the Gardevoir shivered this time, finding it hard to believe that the remains around them were once the team they found so annoying and immature. A pity washed over them, and the two felt gratefully relieved that the Ariados had not trapped them earlier.

"Dear Arceus," Redley muttered under his breath. "What a way to die."

There was a pause — a small, but meaningful variation of a vigil for the dead. When the silence was finished, everyone was instinctively aware of it.

"Well," Genevra sighed, finishing smearing the last of the Pecha Berry against Redley's arm. "We found the Perfect Apples. We're safe. We're alive. Good Arceus."

"You were looking for the Perfect Apples too?" Charmeleon asked.

The Seekers nodded simultaneously.

"We don't need a lot," Redley said, Genevra half-holding Redley by the shoulders as he attempted to stand up. The Gardevoir found her cheeks growing hot; she had never allowed herself to touch Redley so much as she had today. She released her grasps as Redley said, "We just need a few."

The two Fire-Types nodded, and looked at the tree cave. Besides the abundant piles of Perfect Apples nestling, a Treasure Bag was seen, and it was presumed to be Team Skulls'. The four carefully made their way to the fruit, knowing that there were very loose numbers of Ariados watching them above. The Queen Ariados glared at them evilly, rage storming within her, though she could not attack. If she decided to attack, she would meet her death. It was already bad enough that she was bleeding a waterfall of blood. Steady raindrops of blood continuously fell to the forest floor as nearby Ariados attempted to seal her wound with silk.

Genevra inadvertently tripped over a small, slyly hidden tree root, unable to hold onto anything for support. Her hands met the bloody grass, her head started pounding, and her eyes closed into darkness as she began feeling murkiness plummet into her mind. Another vision was preparing itself before Genevra, and as the event revealed itself to her, she strived to keep herself conscious.

_Deep within the pile of Perfect Apples, there is a small hole where the Ariados collect the items that once belonged to the Pokémon they eat… Of course, not many Pokémon know about this because no one dared to go near the king tree of Apple Woods, for they were dangerously near the Ariados, at least not until last night when Team Skull decided to hide all of the Perfect Apples in there… And Pachirisu, the thief… his bag lies beneath all of it…_

Her eyes opened, and the loose fragments of Redley's worried voice calling out to her name began echoing in her mind as if she were in a dream. "… nevra!"

The Gardevoir shook her head, wiping her face with a forearm, being careful not to smear herself with the blood from the floor. When her eyes opened, she found Redley crouched down before her this time, the anxiety evident on his face, especially in his eyes. She was touched, and before the feelings of love and care could grip her any more, she immediately lifted herself up and said, "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Genevra forced herself past Redley, whose hands were quite close to touching her, boldly stepping in between Charmeleon and Monferno, who were wondering what had happened. Ignoring the reactions of the Pokémon around her, she began moving the Perfect Apples out of her way, knowing that behind all of the Perfect Apples that were sitting, there was a heap of unclaimed items.

_Mareep and Gible said they had to find the Water Stone Pachirisu stole, and if Pachirisu's bag is really here, then there should be something…_

"…Genevra?" Redley asked as he leaned down to the Gardevoir.

"I had another vision," Genevra explained hurriedly. "If you keep digging behind the pile of Perfect Apples here, there should be some things behind all of this and—"

She wasn't able to get much further, however. A strong maelstrom of far-distant, windy screeches grabbed the attention of the four, and they all looked outside of the tree hollow.

Particles of sand and dust formed in a shape of a mock tornado, swirling around a small number of Ariados within the sky. The winds were powerful enough to send small specks of sand spritzing around the four Pokémon quite rudely, and crudely.

"That's… Sandstorm…" one of the Fire-Type Pokémon remarked half-absentmindedly, surprised that such a move would be found within a forest instead of a desert.

"Mareep and Gible!" Genevra and Redley exclaimed together, understanding what the event expressly meant. They leapt up together, quickly telling Charmeleon and Monferno that they would be back soon to gather some of the Perfect Apples. The Fire-Types were left utterly confused, not at all knowing what had happened. Nevertheless, they knew that they would have to stay around, for if any of the Ariados should arise back into consciousness with enough energy to battle, they would have to guard the Perfect Apples. The Gardevoir and the Gallade said a quick goodbye, and dashed away to the scene of the commotion.

* * *

This chapter was going to be way too long, again. It was originally 16,000 words, but I cut it down in half. There was this one really adorable scene with Redley and Genevra but I couldn't fit the scene — *_shot_* Argh. There I go, running my mouth away about a spoiler…

And sayonara to Team Skull! They've had their chance to shine, and now they're gone. *weeps tears of sorrow* But seriously, they have no more use in the story, so I had to get rid of them somehow. :P

Moving on, recently, there has been a spider outside living in my family's vegetable garden. It's a bright, pencil-yellow spider with a poisonously orange abdomen, about the size of a US quarter, and its legs are hairy. Needless to say, it's scary looking. So some time ago, I was taking a small walk in the vegetable garden, hoping to relieve myself from all the schoolwork under the afternoon sun. It was nice: the birds were chirping, the sun was setting, and I saw the spider eat a fly. Literally, like, five flies were caught in the spider's web, and I just stared at the spider for the next hour or so just wrapping its prey with its silk, and sucking the bug juice out of one really fat fly. Ick. Yeah, it was disgusting, because you could actually see the shiny bug juice, but it was amazing at the same time. :D I'm convinced a good amount of this chapter with the Ariados came from that one afternoon I spent my time outside watching the pencil-yellow spider eat a juicy fly. So, hats down to the poisonous spider living in my backyard! It probably has no idea what I am or why I'm even thanking it and it probably isn't even aware of what I'm doing, but whatever! That scary spider has my gratitude!

It's been living in my backyard for almost a month now, and it seems pretty content there just sitting on its web, patiently waiting for its next meal. :P It reminds me of those cats who stalk into my backyard and sit on my porch for no apparent reason, though they are _super_ adorable.

Disclaimer: I'm not complaining about spiders. For one, I think they're super cool, but just awesomely creepy at the same time. Besides, I have no reason to complain about spiders in where I'm living. For those of you living in Australia, you have my full respect. Everything in that country/continent is bloody poisonous and just living in such an environment compared to the docile Northeast of the US, well… Yeah, I have no reason to complain.

Last note: the metric system is so much better than the standard system. It has beauty, elegance, and intuition that the standard system will never have. :P This is why all measurements in this fic will be in meters and the like, not in feet or miles like many Americans love so much. (I personally prefer the metric system, but the standard system is something I'm used to, so…)

Onwards to the next chapter!


	10. Where Bonds Grow Deeper into Veracity II

Chapter 10: Where Bonds Grow Deeper into Veracity, Part 2

Mareep, Gible, and Ledian were such a distance away from Genevra and Redley that they couldn't hear or see anything about the fiery combustion that activated near the king tree. In fact, they were so much a distance away that they couldn't even recognize the storm of Ariados being lifted into the air by Genevra's sparkling, but efficient Fairy Wind. From their standpoint, Genevra and Redley had a spacious view that allowed them to see Gible's Sandstorm, but Mareep and Gible stayed grounded between the thick swaths of apple trees. For this, it was rather difficult for them to see any sort of signal.

The once-guile Pachirisu now lay dead before their feet, the corpse barely beyond recognition. The sockets that once held the squirrel's eyes were empty, leaving a half-eaten brain visible through the holes of the skull. The jaw had been ripped in half jarringly, the tongue hanging out in a grotesque manner that would have demanded a scream from even those young boys who self-proclaimed to be the toughest of all in primary school. The blood was black and dry, crusts of it staining the white fur while various innards lay around the dirt floor looking like squirming worms. The stench was repugnant, and if anyone who had just finished a meal came even close to smelling the foul odor, the food would spring back out of their mouths mercilessly.

"Th… that's P-Pachirisu?!" Mareep's eyes were expanding in a dreadful trepidation, her body shaking very loudly, the Treasure Bag against her back clattering articulately from the quivers.

Even Gible had a difficult time registering the dead _thing_ before him. "Oh… Arceus…" The dragon looked away from the corpse, feeling disgusted. One might have thought that the dragon was carnivorous, though Gible himself restrained from ever eating other Pokémon, for he was quite content with sticking to a diet filled with merely fruits, vegetables, dairy, or anything that didn't mean sacrificing the life of another being. He was not a wild dragon who would feel guiltless about eating other Pokémon; he was a civilized Pokémon that understood the value of life, and he would never take away another Pokémon's life for the benefit of his own. He decided a long time ago that only wild dragons who didn't live in the cosmopolitan Treasure Town would only be ruthless enough to eat others, and he made a vow to himself and Mareep that he would never become one of them. The promise held true even now, for the young Gible began feeling a sickening nausea take over him. He thought of regurgitating his last repast.

Mareep coughed, feeling an acidic bile rise within her throat. "Oh… Oh, Arceus…" The sheep dashed away to a nearby bush, the contents of her stomach wanting to push its way out of her mouth. "_It's so terrible!_"

Gible ineptly followed, desperate to control his own stomach. "Arceus… _why_…?!"

Mareep heard the question, but she couldn't answer, for she didn't have any clue. Besides, she had already begun vomiting, the sour tears stinging her eyes as she struggled to endure the rancid pain.

Ledian grimaced, clearly uncomfortable with the current situation. She herself knew that Mareep and Gible were young, only blooming into their pre-teen years. One could have said that such a sight might have corrupted their "innocence"; that was always subjective, however. In either case, they would grow from this experience, and that was certainly objective. They recovered in a time that was not swift, nor slow, but an amount in which was required an empathetic understanding for both tormented children.

Unbeknownst to them, the stray group of Ariados that had chanced upon Charmeleon and Monferno earlier were now heading for the three Pokémon placed near the dead Pachirisu they had eaten a while back. They hid amongst themselves rather expertly, so much that even a veteran resident of Apple Woods like Ledian could not sense them. The time the sheep, the dragon, and the ladybug had spent in front of the dead Pachirisu gave the spiders enough of an opportunity to stumble upon them.

"Oh, will you look at that," one whispered in an expertly subtle voice. "More prey!"

"At least we'll have something to eat! All of those other Ariados are probably happy that they finished eating the Poison-Type Pokémon. They didn't allow us to eat with them anyway," another said, the disgust towards them evident in the tone of the voice.

"Well, we have our own prey to claim as our own, now," the leader of the Ariados group said finally, and began leading his group in a planned formation. "You know the protocol. Don't mess this up! We haven't eaten since that Pachirisu came!"

More rustles were heard, the whispers of the bushes tingling with a carnivorous excitement. The sheep instinctively recognized the atmosphere of predators about to hunt for their prey first; it was the nature of preyed-upon animals to identify such a feeling very quickly. Her head swung from one direction to the next, her eyes nervously and sharply darting around for any sign of danger.

"Uh…" The sheep's eyes widened in fear, unable to see any of the Ariados. "… Guys?"

The land shark was alert, for he had already sensed that something of a sinister air had surrounded them. He didn't know what Pokémon they were, but there was something predatory running in the air, and he wasn't stupid in perceiving it.

Ledian felt the atmosphere, too; she quickly flew up into the sky to look down at Apple Woods from a bird's eye view. When she could see the various, familiarly purple-and-yellow-striped Ariados legs poking about, moving around like the spiders they were between bushes and trees, she yelled loudly, "ARIADOS!"

Mareep screamed, the ear-piercing shriek jolting the surrounding predators, the sudden outburst surprising them. Historically, members of the Mareep evolution line were always preyed upon because of their supposed tender meat; being a Mareep, she was predisposed to becoming timid around predators.

"Use an Electro Ball!" Gible yelled immediately as she finished letting loose her cry of fear. "We need help!"

The sheep's legs shook on its own; Mareep could no longer keep hold of herself, and it seemed impossible for her to do so anyway. All of the strength Mareep once carried vanished into a forgotten abyss _tout de suite_, replaced with paralyzing timidity and cowardice.

The entire cast of Ariados within the party came into view, circling the two Pokémon. Ledian flew back down, ready to defend the young explorers if required. An unyielding deadlock seemed to take place, for the two opposing parties merely stared at each other, one giving carnivorously anxious glares, the other with mixed feelings of apprehension and defensiveness.

"Hurry up with the Electro Ball already!" Gible urged on, his voice aggravated.

"B-but…!" Mareep closed her eyes tightly, her legs still shaking. "I—I can't!"

"Then I'll use Sandstorm!"

"B-but—"

"THEN USE ELECTRO BALL!"

The reply was yet another high-pitched, shrill shriek from the sheep, sharp enough to break even the most solid of finely crafted wine glasses. Gible and Ledian returned a scream in agony as a response, covering their ears. The Ariados seemed to be quite adapted to such screams from their prey, however, and only took this opportunity to start pouncing against the three Pokémon.

"I'M SORRY, MAREEP!" Gible apologized loudly, swiftly whipping up a Sandstorm. Irritating crumbs of sand cruelly began attacking the Ariados, singeing into their glossy, shiny eyes. The party of Ariados recoiled back, about to retreat from the sudden blitz; they didn't have enough time, for the Sandstorm increased its power, the wind picking up velocity as the bugs were trapped in the coarse-looking sand tornado, this time prompting screams from the Ariados.

It was here when Genevra and Redley managed to catch up with Gible and Mareep, seeing that Gible was doing an overly-fitting job from defending themselves against the spiders. It wasn't quite as easy as one might have thought; the young dragon soon picked up more wind and sand than he could control, and the power of the Sandstorm increased tenfold, nearly blinding everyone in the scene with the harsh sand.

"FOR ARCEUS' SAKE! CONTROL YOUR SANDSTORM!" some unidentifiable Pokémon yelled, their throats burning in having screamed at a large volume.

"I CAAAAAN'T!" Gible replied, his pudgy arms waving more and more recklessly by the second. His own eyes began watering from the sand stinging against him, and he dropped all control of the Sandstorm.

In this brief flash of time, the Gallade and the Gardevoir stepped back before the arenaceous clamor could take hold of them. While they were only a meter away from the actual sand tornado, the two could see Mareep and a Ledian clutching to each other tightly, their mouths discharging screams. The immense whirlwind of sand that cycled above grew in power, and Gible waved around his stout arms uselessly, only panicking even further knowing that he could do nothing else.

Without a moment's hesitation, Genevra swiveled up another Fairy Wind, hoping it would accomplish some sort of opposing action. She wasn't sure how much counterbalance would eventuate, but making an attempt was better than not making one at all. The winds in the air snarled, the Ariados' screams more dreadfully hair-raising as they flew within the sky like brightly colored, ice cream sprinkles.

It had taken a while, but Genevra's Fairy Wind was able to take hold of Gible's Sandstorm, and without another moment to spare, the Gardevoir pushed away the blizzard of winds to ranges away from where she stood. One could safely assume that some of the Ariados trapped in the earlier Sandstorm would be dead by now, for the fierce impact of smashing back onto the ground from gravity wasn't something to judge lightly. The Gardevoir breathed in quickly for air, sounding as if she had finished a marathon in an abnormally fast amount of time; Fairy Wind was not an easy move to utilize, and having to counteract the Sandstorm was something Genevra thought as almost incapable of handling.

By now, both Fairy Wind and Sandstorm dispersed into a nothingness of calm, the sky looking as if it had always been blue like the usual. One could gather that the apple trees around had suffered a great deal; leaves were torn off and scattered, while the weak apples from their former branches laid interspersed in all directions. Branches were entangled upon one another, pushed against a wild mesh of calamity. The scene was a near-perfect replica of the ruined aftermath of some Midwestern storm, the now-dead sand tornado having destroyed a piece of land that would take months to heal.

Everyone sighed in collective unison, relieved that both the Ariados and the Sandstorm were behind them. Those who weren't Genevra murmured thanks and appreciation to her, knowing that she had ended the disaster Gible stormed up.

Mareep turned around, examining her wool with disapproval. She frowned, and released blatant sigh of disappointment. "I have sand in my wool… _again_."

"I did say sorry," Gible said, turning to look at his partner.

"I know, but that Sandstorm went _way out of hand_!" Mareep retorted back to the dragon. "You've even destroyed all the trees around here!"

Gible frowned, his tone filled with shy hesitancy as he said, "Well, I guess I was just so nervous that I went overboard with the Sandstorm. All I wanted was to defend us. I mean…"

There was a silence, the spotlight shining unmistakably on Mareep and Gible. The sheep half-blushed; the anger in her heart was still pumping through her blood as fiercely as adrenaline, and so her frown was still in place on her face. Gible, on the other hand, only looked away in shame, feeling remorse for his previous actions.

"Whatever." Mareep sighed, shaking her head. "If you're going to protect someone next time, do a better job of it. Anyways, what's more important now is… Pachirisu…"

All five Pokémon turned their heads to the rotting corpse of the electric squirrel, now dismembered into more pieces that lay sprawling from the Sandstorm. Genevra and Redley shared a simultaneous skip of the heartbeat, seeing the disgusting masses of raw meat lay before them.

"Oh… another one…" Genevra sighed, her face twisting into a grim frown. Redley, who had the same grimace as she, was just as unpleased at witnessing more remains of dead Pokémon.

"… I don't want to go back to the guild without finding the Water Stone, though," Gible admitted quietly, his eyes showing gleams of sadness. The normally optimistic dragon found now that it was hard to keep even a smile, and Genevra and Redley sensed this obvious, pitiful emotion.

"I have an idea on where it might be," Genevra started, recalling her earlier vision, thankful that she could look away from the dead Pachirisu. "If you come with us, you might find it."

Mareep and Gible looked at each other in confusion, and then back at the Gardevoir. "What do you mean?"

"We'll need to go back over there to find out," Redley said as he pointed in the direction to the tall tree of Apple Woods. "We'll have to hurry before any more of the Ariados come."

"You two were over there?" Ledian questioned the Seekers.

Genevra and Redley gave a quick explanation to the unaware trio, summarizing their encounter with the Ariados as well as the encounter with Charmeleon and Monferno. The five hurriedly ran back towards the location of the Perfect Apples, and to their grateful relief, there were no Ariados showing signs of bothering the two Fire-Types.

The Seekers were quick to make their way to the grand tree; Mareep, Gible, and Ledian were slower in speed, taking their time and space in observing the setting around them. Their senses heightened precisely, sponging in the gruesome views of scattered remains, the bloody smell that stung their noses, and the eerie silence which prompted fears to intensify. Their skins prickled with unease, and their mouths began feeling a tang of sourness, only feeling all the more disquieting in such an environment. The three shared a look of collective disturbance, each reading the others' eyes agreeing, _This is worse than what happened to Pachirisu!_

"We found stuff behind all of the Perfect Apples," Monferno said as the five made their way to the king tree. "There's a whole pile of things near the back of the tree!"

Charmeleon followed Monferno out of the tree cave, grimacing as he took a last glance from the canopy of the hollow. "It also looks like Ariados eggs were planted in the tree, too, but there are no more eggs. All of them must have hatched already. We're safe for now."

Ledian looked closely at the clutter of items snuggled between the numbers of Perfect Apples, abruptly distinguishing familiar belongings that had been stolen from her village. Likewise, Mareep and Gible noticed a brilliant aqua-blue glint twinkling in a flash of a millisecond, revealing the dazzling wonder that was the Water Stone. They gasped in unison, accidentally pushing the other Pokémon in their way as they dove into the tree hollow to reach their items.

"We found the Water Stone!" Gible cried happily, holding the stone with his small hands. He turned to his partner with more radiant eyes than usual, saying joyously, "Mareep! We finished the mission! We're okay!"

Mareep released a steady but wide smile, her eyes sharing Gible's radiant glisten. "This isn't so bad after all!"

"There are a lot of other items here from other villages, too," Ledian noted, her voice slightly echoing in the tree hollow. "We'll need to bring them back to their owners."

"This has turned out to be an unusual event," Monferno commented, scratching his head. He looked around his surroundings once more, being wary of any Ariados. There were yet none.

"We should gather everything we need before the Ariados revive," Charmeleon added, hastily beginning to stash his own satchel with loose Perfect Apples. "Whoever decided to put all of the Perfect Apples in here must've been stupid… I mean, how will other Pokémon who need Perfect Apples be able to find them? And it'll take another three months to replenish all of them!"

Hearing this, Genevra and Redley shared a sheepish look, clearly understanding Team Skulls' intentions from the night before. The fleeting look between them was enough to acknowledge that Team Skull would not be talked of for a long time.

"Since all the Perfect Apples are already plucked, we might as well share them with others. There's too many to sell." Monferno peered into the large tree hollow, suddenly feeling wearier than before at seeing the enormous piles of Perfect Apples. "What do you think, Charmeleon?"

"Couldn't agree more." The fire lizard sighed as he stretched himself. "We don't need this many Perfect Apples. We might as well just give them to other Pokémon."

"I could go back and ask for help," Ledian offered. With this, she flapped her wings back out of the tree hollow, carrying several items within her hands. "Besides, there are a lot of things in there that we'll need help for."

Everyone consorted with one another: Ledian would swiftly fly back to her village to assemble helpers in delivering back personal items. It was also agreed that the large piles of Perfect Apples could not go to waste, and so everyone thought of it as the best thing to do when it was suggested that Perfect Apples would be distributed throughout the villages of Apple Woods. Any remaining Perfect Apples would be given to the Seekers, the Fire-Types, and Mareep and Gible.

It didn't take very long for Ledian to come back with capable Pokémon from her village. In all, there was enough Pokémon to gather the belongings, and since everyone was naturally good-natured, there was no doubt the items would be on their way back to their rightful owners. Despite the good number of Pokémon, however, the vast amounts of Perfect Apples required a bigger demand in tidying up the situation. Everyone who could help brought empty buckets to fill up the fruit, moving about in rapid velocity, transferring the apples from the king tree to local villages. They were aware that the more time passed, the higher of a chance that Ariados would come back to strike again, and no one wanted another insane battle of survival.

In completion, everyone was able to finish the arduous task without any Ariados pouncing upon them. The assemblage of Pokémon went back to the North Village, the news of the recent happenings spreading around like an eager bushfire. All six Pokémon, especially Genevra and Redley, had their reputations extended about in a good name in helping others from the terror of Ariados. Charmeleon and Monferno were praised for not charging anyone the extra Perfect Apples; normally, one might have thought that extra Perfect Apples reeled in more money. The two Fire-Types had a selfless heart, knowing that the excess amount of money they could have earned wasn't needed.

Ledian suitably noted the imbrued and lurid mess surrounding the Seekers, Mareep, and Gible. Dropping their messenger bags, the four were led to a nearby stream, flowing in sparkling clean movements conveniently split into shallow and deeper ends. Though Mareep was an Electric-Type, she happily dove into the water in hopes of wrestling out the prickling sand. Gible modestly sank into the water, slowly picking out the sand nestled between his scales as much as a dragon with pudgy arms could do.

While the younger explorers were content with their landings in the stream, Genevra and Redley were more careful. The Gardevoir was (she had to admit) concerned for the Gallade; his arm was still stinging. Genevra painstakingly led Redley into the water, duly checking that he was comfortable to the maximum.

"Don't worry about me," Redley said as he attempted to give a smile to his partner. "You should focus on yourself more. That Fairy Wind took a heavy toll on you, and you still look worn out from using it twice in a row."

Genevra looked away, her face blushing quietly. "That was nothing."

Redley turned red in response, his thoughts buzzing around in swarms of angry Beedrill. He wanted to say something, really anything, but every thought he had contradicted the things he wanted to speak. His mouth stayed shut, and he found himself looking away.

_If I hadn't gone too far with the Queen Ariados, Genevra wouldn't have to be so worried…_

Genevra glimpsed at her own hands, smudged with blood and Arceus knows what other body fluids. Her eyes trailed around herself, observing the mess that she was. Sighing, she began cleaning herself, working with the stains disseminating around her.

The four Pokémon were satisfied with their cleansings; they stayed in the stream as long as they needed in removing their stains. By the end, all was well; it was late afternoon when everyone had eaten their hearty lunches of Perfect Apples. Genevra and Redley had more than enough of the fruit to carry home back to Wigglytuff, while Charmeleon and Monferno made their ways elsewhere with their abundant Perfect Apples. Even Mareep and Gible were gifted Perfect Apples — there was enough to share with them. Everyone parted their ways with each other; friendly smiles were shared among one another as farewells were given.

Both Mareep and Gible asked both Seekers if they would accompany them back on the way home to Treasure Town; Genevra and Redley agreed without a second thought. They were, however, warned by an elderly Butterfree that at the time they were leaving now, it would be dangerous walking back to Treasure Town in the wild. An offer was given to the four Pokémon; perhaps they could stay at their village for the night before heading back the next day. Mareep and Gible argued that to do a thing would dishonor them from the Wigglytuff Guild; even Redley and Genevra had a desire to get back home, for spending another night in a place they couldn't call home seemed disheartening. The villagers were thanked for the offer, and the final decision was set in stone. All four Pokémon would leave Apple Woods, even if the sun was about to set down. They left the North Village not long after Charmeleon and Monferno.

The walk back to Treasure Town would be longer than anticipated, and in the very best way possible.

* * *

_The time has come…_

Atop a nameless mountain of the Whitestone Mountains, where none of the winds could even lay a single breath of a breeze against the peak, there laid a modest heap of shiny black ashes, particles resting on particles, all necessary to create that one mythical phoenix that everyone knew as impossible to see, so impossible that He didn't even exist at all.

_Ho-Oh_.

It was the Pokémon in which archaic legends of all sorts from all cultures and all times express in every single one the beauty and etherealness and superiority that was. To see this Pokémon would bless those with eternal happiness; the supposed capacity of seeing this immortal bird was unsurpassed.

Those scholars who studied legends and mythology regularly debated about such a claim. Philosophers would especially provide justifiable reasons and principles that would render a storm of skepticism about Ho-Oh. Ancient writings were engraved on aging stone tablets regarding the observations of the bird, and it was tangible proof that the Pokémon was real. They could trust that their ancient ancestors weren't stupid; they had enough intelligence to master their own written word. In the end, the stories that accompanied were always the subject of controversy — many sounded as if they were intentionally twisted to please a biased point of view.

There was always something consistent about the recordings of Ho-Oh, however. Scholars noted this with ease, but they never asked any further when they should have. With every mention of Ho-Oh, Lugia was always written. Even if Lugia never played an actual role in whatever myth was written on the tablet, Ho-Oh would always be addressed in an apparently solemn heralding. "Ho-Oh, Brother Sibling of Sister Sibling Lugia," was the assured introduction to the mythical phoenix in every story.

In truth, Ho-Oh was forever fated to be tied with Lugia. No one, perhaps with the exception of the Creation Gods, could ever understand why this was so. (The Creation Gods were on such an empyrean status that matters like these were easy to comprehend.) One could call them "soul mates," but nowhere is it meant to be applied in a romantic sense. Fate is strange, for it is always the point of a heated debate in what is defined to be fate. Is it the work of Arceus? Or is it the work of all individuals, in which individuals choose their destiny? Or perhaps they are led to believe that individuals do have a choice, and they consciously believe that they are aware of what they choose, even though in the end, there is always another mastermind pulling the strings of the puppet? Perhaps in the end, the strings of the puppet are pulled so well that even the mastermind supposedly in charge has become trapped in the perpetual labyrinth we all call fate?

In any case, because of this inseparable bond, the awakening of Lugia stimulated the awakening of Ho-Oh. What would happen to one Pokémon would happen to the next. Disregarding the dubious intervals of time in which took place between their rebirths, the main point of fact remained essential: Ho-Oh and Lugia were to meet once again.

The lustrous ashes began assembling at its own will — Ho-Oh's higher acuity had taken hold, commanding the corporeal body in coming back to life not from the dead, but from an unconscious sleep. All that was a polished black color smoothed out into brighter hues of varying degrees: the signature fiery red color that could only be found on Ho-Oh's primary coverts, laying on top of the pristine white secondary coverts, in turn tipped with a crystalline jade shade near the delicate ends. The burning gold aura blazed with ferocity, coloring the tail-feathers, the majestic crest, and the finely shaped beak reminiscent of a crescent moon.

Ho-Oh cried out to the high sky above; despite its impressive volume, no Pokémon had heard the call. His wings stretched in a ceremonious attitude, as if fulfilling some ancient sacrificial rite, ready to fly into the sky to meet Lugia.

_The time has come…_

* * *

Exactly one day after they had left the shores of Treasure Town, Team Raider and the temporary army had passed Surrounded Sea, beginning their way through Miracle Sea. There was no obvious sign of Lugia yet; at most, the clouds seemed to float in a deeper gray color, looming over with a lethargic doom that made the atmosphere all the more intimidating. Moreover, there were countless numbers of Water-Type Pokémon escaping from a certain direction that prompted Gallade and the others to understand they were heading in the right way.

At the moment, there was a transitory break. Wailord stationed everyone at a solitary island, allowing all land Pokémon to get the familiar feel of solid dirt against their feet. It was here where members of the Lanturn Police Department would meet with Team Raider and the army, exchanging information. Wailord rested in the water, patiently waiting like the gentle Pokémon he was.

"Lugia is already at the heart of Miracle Sea," a Sheriff Lanturn informed the leaders. "She's rampaging like it's the apocalypse! We can't even stop Her, even _with_ our electricity!"

"We'll need to find some way to besiege Lugia then," Sheriff Magnezone said, turning to Gallade. "Have you figured out anything yet?"

Gallade nodded brusquely, answering in an authoritarian voice. He was a superbly strategic leader, excelling in figuring out means that would execute efficiently in reality. "At this rate, there is no doubt Lugia will continue making Her way up here. With all of us, there's no way we are going to fight on Wailord; doing a thing would risk not only our lives, but his as well. There's no reason for Wailord to get tangled in this battle. He's done enough for us."

"So… we'll send him back?" Roserade figured.

"Correct." Gallade crossed his arms, turning his head as he began thinking once more. "Also, we'll need to ensure that Lugia comes here to this island. This is our only chance in stopping Her. If we lose, we can't fight Her on the islands in Surrounded Sea. There won't be enough time for Wailord to send us there, and doing that would, again, endanger his own life. I won't allow it."

Sheriff Magnezone felt a wave of unusual electricity crackle through it; it was equivalent to a warm-blooded Pokémon feeling shivers tremble down their skin. In the tone Gallade spoke with, it was impossible for it to argue against him. Gallade had magnetic power and charisma perfect for leading a society. The sheriff almost found itself jealous of his abilities; imagine how successful it would be at its own job if it had Gallade's strengths! Besides, that strength was probably what reeled in the hordes of fangirls. After all, he was the most popular guy that all fangirls chose to swoon over.

_But back to the seriousness of the situation…_ the Sheriff Magnezone felt another wave of electricity.

"We'll have the Ghost-Types attack Lugia first," Gallade went on. "They are to surround Lugia in a spherical formation and attack her repeatedly. The Ghost-Types will lead Lugia closer to this island, and then that's when the rest of us will attack. The Rock-Types are to stay grounded here; on no circumstances are they to go near any water. A storm will be coming in their way, and the last thing I want is any of our Pokémon dead."

"I _hate_ water," Rhyperior grumbled. The same declaration could be said for many of the other Rock-Types. Still, he knew he was here for a more important reason, and he couldn't let his own selfishness overtake him when there were other Pokémon's lives he needed to consider.

"As for the others, the Ice-Types and Dark-Types will surround the Rock-Types, protecting them should the rain severely start damaging them. The Rock-Types _will_ attack Lugia, but the Ice-Types and the Dark-Types must watch their backs. That said, those two types are also allowed to attack Lugia, but the priorities of Rock-Types are just as important."

"And the Electric-Types?" a Deputy Sheriff Magneton asked.

"I want all of the Electric-Types near the edges of the island." Gallade said this as if it were an order. "I want them near the water. If they release their Electric-Type special attacks — Discharge, ThunderBolt, Electro Ball — the water will only increase the power. The super-effectiveness of the water will affect Lugia's storms, thus weakening Her. This is our best weapon."

The clean neatness of Gallade's plan impressed the others, and no one objected.

"All that is left to do is to wait for Lugia," Gallade concluded, his arms crossed as he faced the south.

Everyone hurriedly agreed, dispersing off into their respective groups. Wailord would be warned about the emerging battle, while Sheriff Magnezone and his assistants would go off to instruct other Pokémon of their specific places. Soon, everyone was preparing their own dinners while setting up their duly sparse camps. They were satisfied with their own meals — all light mélanges of Oran and Sitrus Berries meant for strengthening.

No one had seen the sun set; the gray overcasts of clouds dominated the expanse of the sky, so much that no sign of any lively color would be visible. One could still tell when night had befallen on the island, however. Eventually, the sky, with its gray clouds, gradually dimmed into a thick, impermeable blackness. The scene was unparalleled to achieving absolute darkness, and the only light source available was the weak fires built from loose twigs.

Gallade was the last one awake when everyone else had fallen asleep. He was positive that even Roserade and Rhyperior wouldn't be aware that he had not yet gone to sleep, and he was right. Gallade kept his own eyes glued to the glowing fire, illuminating the surrounding sand in some husky golden color.

Memories of the previous day with Genevra and Redley cycled throughout his head as he lay down against the soft sand, soon toppling with even further memories from all of his past years. All of the events from his passed flowed through him now, a river of recollections and remembrances streaming into his consciousness without merciless force.

_What if I am to die tomorrow…? _Gallade thought. _I made the vow with Roserade and Rhyperior that we would lose our lives in becoming explorers if anything should happen… Arceus, damn it, I don't think I want to die after all…_

_ There is Genevra too… _another voice crept inside the Gallade's mind.

_I already know she's not mine; there is no use in trying to keep myself alive for her… Perhaps I should…_

Gallade stopped himself, realizing how suicidal he sounded.

_You are to keep living not for Genevra,_ he urged himself as he shook his head, _but for the hundreds of thousands of other Pokémon living in this world. They may lose their lives should you fail, and that is the worst disgrace that any explorer should experience. If I die, I cannot die for Genevra. If I die, I have to die for the Pokémon of the world. There is nothing else I will take._

The Gallade wiped his face with a forearm, straightening himself. He would attempt to fall asleep. Tomorrow would be, needless to point out, a big day.

* * *

There was something that worried Dragonair, and it worried him up to the point where he wondered if he should swim back to the Royal Palace to ensure that the Holy Relic was still there.

_The Panthalassa Time Gear…_

"Don't be silly, Dragonair," the blue serpent admonished himself. "You'll be disrespecting your King and Queen. You'll be a disgrace to the entire family! Besides, you're already at the center of Surrounded Sea. It's unthinkable to go back!"

Dragonair paused; he was currently swimming near the surface of the water. It was an easy way to lift his head up to continuously look at the stars. Tonight, though, he would have to pay extra attention to the sky. He was sure that it was this night was the night in which a lunar eclipse would take place for a few hours — that would give him limited time in searching for the palace.

He knew he was fortunate in arriving at Surrounded Sea; there were signs scattered among the ocean floor that were enough to tell Dragonair that he had made it. There was a considerable amount of effort done to avoid passing Water-Types. Dragonair could not risk being identified as someone directly from the servants of the Royal Palace; there was absolutely no way in the name of Arceus he was going to let some random Pokémon even discover a slither of information about the egg he was entrusted.

The serpent lifted his head, paying close attention to the moon. After locating the position, he gathered that the lunar eclipse would start soon; in how much time exactly, he wasn't sure. He might have been a servant, but the King and Queen were kind. They had given all servants a necessary education, enough to call them mildly cultured in every field ranging from the sciences to the arts.

_The full moon has already entered the penumbra…_

"My dear Kyogre, I've made it…" Dragonair breathed, turning to his tail wrapped around the egg. He unwrapped the delicate formation of nature ever so gently, peeking at the marvelous life within the transparent shell, balancing it on his tail.

_How in the name of Arceus shall I ever raise the Royal Prince? _

Sighing, he shook his head, rewrapping the egg like a mother lovingly hugging her child. Some strange brew of feelings transformed madly within him; raising the prince would be no easy task, for he had never been a parent and he had never received proper training in raising a child. Heck, even though he had fallen in love before, he had never mated, so he did not have a solid idea on how to properly raise a baby Pokémon. Yet the King and Queen had faith in him, so he must have been doing something right.

_Soon, the palace will show itself under the light of the lunar eclipse…_

However, even if he was trusted, he still didn't know if he had escaped the wrath of Lugia. Yes, Lugia was a far ways behind him. But that didn't mean she was done rampaging. There was that ancient myth about Lugia having the capability of causing a forty-day storm, and knowing that Lugia was on a rage now, that specious illusion of the myth was, in actuality, now true and believable.

This gave him a legitimate reason to think that he was still not safe; if he was not safe, then the Royal Prince was not safe either. Dragonair would gladly sacrifice his own life to save the young prince, though that would only cause him to worry about who would take of him if Dragonair was dead. Such a thing would only cause more terror than needed!

_Stop being so superstitious!_ Dragonair scolded himself. _Lugia isn't going to come to the Surrounded Sea! I can't believe you're so gullible!_

And yet, the small fact that Lugia could very well enter the Surrounded Sea denied to leave Dragonair's mind. The chance of it happening was there, and denying it would be the same as saying that Arceus didn't exist.

_And then there's the Panthalassa Time Gear…_

_Nonsense! The Holy Time Gear is safely tucked away under the Royal Palace! Even though the entire architecture is wrecked into pieces, the item itself is guarded under the fail-proof trap system…_

_ In any case, Dragonair, keep your head high. You cannot disgrace the last orders of your King and Queen…_

* * *

The four Pokémon — Genevra, Redley, Mareep and Gible — grew more and more silent as their walk back to Treasure Town progressed throughout the evening. At first, both Mareep and Gible had the energy and enthusiasm in marching back home — they recited all ten rules of Wigglytuff's Ten Rules for Exploration Teams repeatedly (this was to Genevra's horror, and she almost found herself cringing at the ridiculously hokey "rules," though Redley comforted her), they sang children's songs in nonsensical intonations that would have made a conservatively uptight classical music aficionado cringe in terror ("Stop making my ears bleed!" they would scream), and they danced in a totally out-of-sync fashion that somehow could be amusing if one pushed themselves to look at it that way. Despite the childish atmosphere, Genevra and Redley found themselves smiling along, ultimately enjoyed by the optimism emanating from the two. Psychic-Types like them were naturally sensitive to emotion, and just drinking in the pure spirit and optimism of the young children was exactly equivalent to what humans would enjoy in drinking gracefully aged, splendidly refined wine.

Eventually, the younger explorers started yawning when the full moon had just begun rising. By then, they had already eaten another handful of the succulent Perfect Apples for dinner, and they suddenly wished they stayed at the North Village back at Apple Woods instead of deciding to go back to Treasure Town.

"Besides, what if another wild Pokémon comes out and attacks us?" Mareep said, trying her best to keep her timidity from controlling her.

"Don't worry, Mareep!" Gible looked at his partner with pride. "If anything happens to you, I'll be there to protect you! Just like today!"

"Yeah, _protect_," Mareep said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. Then, her expression shifted rudely to the dragon. "Don't use Sandstorm anymore! I promise, the next time we're in a life-threatening situation, I'll use Electro Ball for sure!"

Gible merely smiled, despite her apparent nagging. He didn't say a word; he simply enjoyed listening to Mareep's tirade, though his smile was cut off when he released another yawn.

Mareep secretly wanted to camp somewhere and rest for the night; she wanted to ask her traveling companions if doing a thing would be okay. However, her conscious got the better of her — she and Gible would probably get in trouble from the Wigglytuff Guild (there was no way she wanted to deal with an explosive, temperamental Chatot), and besides, to ask a thing would make her feel selfish. She especially didn't want to ask Redley and Genevra, because after all they had done for her and Gible, she felt there was no way she could ask to camp out in the wilderness at night.

Genevra sensed her thoughts quite easily — it wasn't a concrete process of reading Mareep's mind, for she didn't grasp each and every word of the sheep's thoughts. Nevertheless, Mareep's feelings transferred to the Gardevoir through her intuition, and so she called out to the sheep and lowered her head to meet her.

"Would you like me to carry you on the way back to Treasure Town?" Genevra asked with a kind smile.

Everyone looked at the Gardevoir in surprise. Mareep couldn't answer; she was paralyzed at hearing the offer. Gible looked on, unsure of what to make of the situation. Redley easily understood the event, and his first feelings of surprise disintegrated rapidly into an understanding of Genevra's compassion and kindness.

"… Wh-what?" the sheep said reluctantly.

Genevra gave another smile. "You look tired, so if it's okay with you, I can hold you. Just give me your Treasure Bag."

Mareep didn't know how to respond. "Uh…"

Redley found himself smiling along. He faced the Gible with an optimistic expression. "If you're tired too, Gible, I can carry you."

"_What?!_" the sheep and the dragon exclaimed in unison.

Genevra was the one looking at Redley at shock this time. It was then she understood that they were naturally attuned in looking out for the young, regardless of whatever Pokémon they happened to be. Yet, she found it so warming to her that she felt her cheeks grow hot once again; Redley's act of selflessness only drew her more towards the Gallade.

_It also seems that despite his depressing past… he's making an effort to look towards the future now…_

Mareep yawned loudly, snapping Genevra's attention. The Gardevoir looked back down to her with another smile, saying, "If you want to go to sleep, then you need the sleep. I don't want to make you walk back to Wigglytuff's Guild when you're so tired."

"B-but…what about you?"

"I'll be fine," Genevra said with an elegant wave of her hand, remaining adamant about her offer.

Hesitantly, the sheep agreed. Genevra lifted off her Treasure Bag, slinging it around her free shoulder, picking up the surprisingly lightweight Mareep in her arms. The soft wool tickled against her skin, and the sheep let out an acute noise of surprise, unused to having been carried in a long time. As far as Mareep's memories could serve her, the last time she had been carried was when she was just a baby in the Blissey Orphanage. She had to admit, being held again did feel nice.

Redley looked directly at Gible this time, proposing his offer once again. Knowing that Gible's tiredness was beginning to take even stronger hold of him, he agreed, allowing the Gallade to lift him into his arms. Gible did not carry a Treasure Bag, but Redley had to admit that the pudgy dragon was a bit heavier than he was expecting. Nonetheless, the Gallade and the Gardevoir went along together, the children in their arms drifting comfortably to sleep. They stayed traveling on the open dirt path, the moon taking on a deeper shade of red, signaling the lunar eclipse about to come.

"I almost wish that these two were awake to see this," Genevra murmured softly, her steps slower as she took in the view of the red moon.

"From the looks of it, I don't think they want to be awake," Redley noted, giving a sheepish smile.

Genevra returned the smile, followed by a quiet laugh. "Ah, yeah…"

There was a silence. Their ears became sharper: every step they took against the dirt ground felt clearer, more distinct so that the air seemed to carry some ghostly frailness. Sensitive and shy feelings emerged from the Gallade and the Gardevoir, their horns sensing one another's intuition as the anxiousness between them surged.

The Gardevoir let out a sudden yawn, surprising both herself and the Gallade. She shook her head a couple of times, determined not to grow any more tired.

"Genevra…"

Carefully, she turned to Redley. "…Yeah?"

"About earlier… I mean, about the Queen Ariados… thanks for being there with me, and, you know, helping me."

The Gardevoir was quiet, turning her head away as her cheeks blushed.

_Just admit it, Genevra…_

"I'm your partner. Of course I'm supposed to be with you when you're in danger. Isn't that what partners do anyway?"

"I—I know, but I just… wanted to let you know about it."

Genevra quietly sighed. "Well… the next something happens to us, and one of us is in danger, I'm going to trust that the both of us will look out for each other. So," here Genevra smiled, pushing herself to look at Redley, "the next time we're in trouble, and we save each other, let's agree that we won't need to worry about saying thanks to acknowledge it."

Redley looked at Genevra quietly, his red eyes melting into a soft look. He wasn't sure how to respond; the words were failing him, but it seemed that words weren't necessary. An understanding flowed between them, and Genevra's statement was established to a concrete verification.

"A-anyway…" Genevra continued, her steps slower as she turned around to face Redley with her entire body. "You know that I was… concerned for you, and that being worried about you made me feel worried too..."

The Gallade found himself blushing this time; hearing the words made his front horn all the more sensitive.

"I wish I could tell you something about myself," Genevra murmured. "You told me everything that happened to you back at Waterfall Cave, and I feel terrible for not being able to contribute enough about myself."

"I-it's not your fault!" Redley exclaimed, not wanting her to feel bad. "I mean, when I told you my side of the story, I only did it because I trusted you, and I wanted you to understand me a little more so that… so that we could grow stronger…"

"I know, but even though I said I couldn't trust you completely… it feels like…" the Gardevoir shook her head, angry at herself for her inability to speak her feelings concisely. "I don't know. It's just that I care about you more than before, and I only want to give more of myself to you but…" Genevra let out a sigh of frustration.

A sudden light appeared before their pathways, capturing both Genevra and Redley's attention. They looked at the sudden interruption, wondering who it was.

"Zzzt! Mareep and Gible are safe with Team Seekers!" a familiar voice buzzed.

Both Redley and Genevra saw the oncoming party come into clearer shapes. They were confused, and dialogues of bewilderment and clarity were exchanged. In noticing that Mareep and Gible were gone, both Wigglytuff and Chatot sent out a rescue team to search for them. They were all relieved to find a familiar team taking care of the two young guild members, and the group all made their way back to Treasure Town without another word of affectionate confession between Redley and Genevra.

* * *

Soon thereafter, Mareep and Gible were placed back into Wigglytuff's Guild, finding a storming Chatot, though Wigglytuff was rather calm about the situation. Guildmaster Wigglytuff was also informed of the Seekers' completion of the evaluation, though he advised coming back to the guild tomorrow to officially grade their status. (The reasons were quite obvious: everyone was brain-dead, and what was the use in earning their final exploration ranks if they were weary?) The two agreed without any argument, ready to go back to Sharpedo Bluff through the early dark hours of morning.

By then, the lunar eclipse had ended, and both Genevra and Redley were terribly tired, Genevra even more so. She found herself leaning against the Gallade as the seemingly long walk across Treasure Town carried on, and she was too weak to resist from holding onto him. A part of Genevra wanted her to continue her thoughts from earlier before the rescue team had showed up, but her brain could not form the proper syntax to reveal her true feelings. More unconscious than conscious, she gripped her hold to the Gallade, shocking Redley as he struggled to hold himself and Genevra.

There was no doubt Genevra was much more tired than Redley. One could legitimately argue she had overworked herself today; no one could blame her for being so exhausted after having to use two Fairy Winds to blow all Ariados away as well as stop Gible's barbarian Sandstorm. Redley remembered his earlier words, noting how much Fairy Wind had taken a heavy toll on her.

"Redley," she murmured, dangerously close to his ear.

Her breath was warm against his neck, and now all previous struggles to keep herself together stopped. At this point, the Gardevoir had no actual awareness that she was holding onto her partner; their warm bodies touched each other without shame, though it was not meant to suggest anything sensual. If she were truly awake, she would have noticed how horrendously rude she was being. Her unconscious desires now were far more dominant than her usual manners, only revealing that she was deeply attached to Redley.

When they finally reached Sharpedo Bluff, both had only a sliver of consciousness, enough to drop their Treasure Bags, the items slipping out of the bag in some disorderly array. Genevra tripped trying to reach her nest, making Redley trip in subsequence as he lay beside her. They half-landed onto someone's nest; it didn't matter whose nest it was. A blanket half-cloaked the two, providing needed warmth.

Together, they slept in each other's arms, too drunk on tiredness to be mindful their doings, relieved that they were still together in one piece. Both Pokémon refused to let go of each other as they fell into a deep slumber, secretly grateful that they could sleep with one another face to face, not having to confront their backs as they normally did. Genevra's hands tenderly encircled Redley's shoulders; Redley's arms dotingly covered Genevra's arms, his hands trailing off to her back. The feelings of love shifted between their horns as they slept, a spiritual, psychic bond enveloping them, establishing that the Gallade and the Gardevoir were, indeed, inseverable.

* * *

D'awww, Redley and Genevra are sleeping next to each other. :3 Of course, they're not going to actually do it. XD Still, I've wanted to bring them closer for a _long_ time.

Also, Pokémon X and Y are released! *dies of happiness* I still need to go get an actual copy of the game, that is, after my big pile of schoolwork is finished… This will be updated though; Redley and Genevra's adventures are so far from over. :D I'm excited about the mega evolutions, and I can't wait until I get my male Gardevoir (yes, _male_) to transform into a Mega Gardevoir! (Plus, this counts towards my female Gardevoir and my male Gallade, so I'm trying to be as egalitarian as possible.) This is total epicness. :D Too bad no one has released Mega Gallade yet…

Oh, and my excuse for not releasing this chapter earlier? Schoolwork. Senior/college stuff is a lot of work to finish, and I'm writing dozens of essays because each college I'm applying for is asking for different questions that I need to answer without sounding like some moron. Ugh.


End file.
